The Juvie Three

Arjay is carrying laundry to the basement of the apartment building and meets Mrs. Liebowitz struggling with a garbage bag. Despite her protests, he takes the garbage bag and puts it into the trash can downstairs. In the laundry room, he meets Gecko and Terence, who are upset because Arjay was considering reaching out to his parents, a breach of the rules of their confinement. Both Terence and Gecko have absent families. Terence has an abusive father, and Gecko’s mother is working three jobs and worrying too much about Rueben to think much about him.

In their counseling session, Victoria is wearing a necklace that she stole from a department store counter. This triggers a discussion between the kids about the crimes they’ve committed. Terence reveals that he read Arjay’s file and knows about the boy he killed. Gecko says that he blames his brother for his situation, and Casey calls him out for using his brother as a scapegoat to excuse the things that he has done. Gecko wonders if she might be right.

The boys are in a bad mood when Healy picks them up from counseling. He has picked up special rye bread for their dinner, but instead of eating it, Healy and the boys begin playing football with it in the street. Soon, their game takes them through the streets back to the apartment. As they reach the door, the football-bread hits a woman standing in the doorway who turns out to be Ms. Vaughn.

Terence has a meeting with DeAndre at one in the morning. With the key that he’s stolen from Healy, Terence unlocks the window gate and steps out onto the fire escape. When he’s partway down the stairwell, Gecko shows up followed by Arjay. They try to convince Terence to come back inside. Terence refuses, and the boys get into a scuffle, which wakes Healy. He shows up at the bedroom window looking down at them.

Healy comes down the fire escape steps. Out of desperation, Terence attacks Arjay and sends him stumbling backward into Healy, who is knocked over the railing. He falls three stories to the street below.

The boys run down to check on him and find him unconscious and bleeding, but alive. Gecko wants to take him to a hospital, but Terence argues that the police will blame them for the injury. Begrudgingly, Gecko and Arjay recognize that he’s right. Gecko suggests that they drive him to a hospital, drop him off, and then disappear.

Terence gets an old Toyota Camry running, and the boys get Healy inside. Gecko uses his skills as a getaway driver to get to the hospital as quickly as possible. They leave Healy outside the emergency room doors, call for help, and then take off. As they drive, Terence takes out Healy’s wallet, which he stole on the way there. In it are cards, cash, and the code for the front door alarm.

The boys discuss their options. The three of them decide to stick together and wait for Healy to get in touch, then hope things can go back to the way they were. They return to the apartment the same way they came and settle in to wait. Arjay’s heavy footsteps knock the newly repaired bowling trophy onto the floor. After several hours, Terence takes some money from Healy’s wallet and volunteers to go get them pizza. He promises to return, but Gecko and Arjay aren’t convinced.

Terence does return 20 minutes later, to everyone’s relief. He admits that he wasn’t sure if he was coming back either. The pizza goes uneaten. Finally, Gecko asks what they’ll do if they don’t hear from Healy. Arjay recommends that they continue acting as if everything’s normal, including going to school. He points out that if they don’t, their absence will be noticed by the school and by Ms. Vaughn. Until Healy comes back, they’ll be “obedient little robots, doing everything we’re programmed to do” (84).