Amazing Stories

Sterling! Sterling, pick up your feet!

Tuka, shut the hell up!

Come on, come on, come on. Let's go.

That's what I'm talking about. And one!

Wrong sport. Good game though.

Word.

You legit for finding this spot. Super cutty.

Still can't get over the view.

Regular-ass, normal humans, when they say "the view," they mean a sunset.

Come on, fam. Like, what's more pretty than that right there?

Probably don't even know how lucky they is.

They are. They know.

They should know. Tuka Hall's coming for they ass!

You about to snitch on the whole situation. A "snitchuation."

Sorry. I'm just super juiced.

Couple weeks till the Stokes-Pickett Invitational on that track.

- Not that crap concrete at school. - Right.

Coach Ry says something like 20 recruiters supposed to come out.

Anybody who gets a decent time in the 400

will get a look at that good scholly money.

So, you, Elaine Hinton from Cole, Kiki Williams from Montcastle.

Same old roster. It's cool.

I'll watch all your college meets on the TVs at Walmart...

- on my break. - I told you.

You get your time under 55 seconds, dominate invitationals,

get recruited and beast in the NCAA.

For the next few weeks, we eat track, sleep track.

And if it ain't about track, we ain't about that.

I said, "We eat track, we sleep track, and if it ain't about track," what?

"If it ain't about track, we ain't about that."

Look, after I cut my time and we win and we get our faces on the news,

could we talk a little about the future?

With the future again? I told you the plan.

We train, cut time and...

the future will handle itself, right?

- Yep. - Good.

Okay.

What about Marion Jones, no sauce, versus Marie-Josée?

- Head-to-head? - I hate you for that.

I'm lightweight blown you didn't even mention Florence.

A different era. Apples to oranges.

I would have made a fruit salad out of all them chicks.

Damn, girl. Humble ever?

Yo, what's the point of having an altar if nobody takes care of it?

Never understood why people do the whole bronze thing.

He can't hoop or do a skateboard if he's dead.

You don't know.

He could be nice with those afterlife skate tricks.

I don't think it works like that.

Sterling, if you gonna be out in this weather, you gonna need a sweater.

You get sick if you want,

but you are not gonna infect my house 'cause you don't agree it's chilly.

Petrushka, you eatin' with us?

No, ma'am. Don't wanna wear out my welcome.

Besides, I maybe have plans.

Well, you change your mind, we always make a plate for you anyway.

You gonna be able to get outta here and meet me at the sideshow?

No, she will not be going to the illegal drag race

where everyone gets arrested!

Who calls it a drag race?

I don't know why she always gotta be in my business.

What was that?

I wanna go, but...

This little girl might need to get some rest.

Watch film. "Eat track. Sleep track"?

You really gonna make me go all alone?

You know you're a brat, right?

Maybe.

Yo, this is hella crazy.

Tuka!

There she go, there she go, there she go!

Hey, Lee you-gotsta-say-the-whole-name Easton.

You took tonight off? Who's coverin' at the restaurant?

Hey, that fish can fry itself.

I figured y'all was coming, so I was about it, off top.

How'd Sterling get out though? Yo.

Look, anyone asks, we had a last-minute, late-night track practice

very close to the sideshow.

- I got you. - Hey, we got you.

- Yo! - Come on, now.

- Oh, shit! - Oh, what?

He hit that corner so hard.

About that time, I think.

Already?

What is it, like, 10:15? Blood, you legit nerdy.

I wanna be in bed before 11:00.

Look, even the super-ultra extra square kids stay out till at least midnight.

You don't get it.

I work hard for it, every day, just to keep your pace.

My bad, Ster, I...

I break myself just to be seconds slower than you.

Stay if you want. I need sleep.

My bad.

Hey, yo, blood! Hey, Sterling, wait up!

Sterling!

Bro, I said I'm sorry.

Sterling Johnson, who secretly loves Taylor Swift and hates onions,

I'm talking to you!

Hey...

What you doing?

Move! Tuka! Car! Move!

Tuka, move!

Amen.

We wanna thank the choir for that offering,

the deacons and deaconesses who have responded

to Tuka's loved ones in their time of need.

Miss Johnson.

For the record, nobody's allowed to call her Petrushka.

Still. Tuka Myrtle Hall was born in 2002 in Oakland.

She is survived by her cousin, Noah Terry, in Fresno,

her great-aunt Hazel in Modesto and...

and her best friend since age six...

Sterling Johnson.

Oh, no, no, no. Y'all got me messed up.

I'm not dead. I'm right here.

She boasted the area's fastest time in women's 400 meter...

setting regional records her last two seasons.

See? See? I'm not dead!

I'm here!

Come on, fam.

There's gotta be something we can do...

or somebody we can talk to!

At this time, you may choose to recess or stay seated to view the remains.

No! No! No!

No! No! No!

Right... here.

Sterling was there.

And she waved at me.

And I waved back, and...

Well, the only way anyone would touch my track cleats

was if they wanted to die...

or if I did.

But if I'm dead, why am I still here posted on the same broke block?

I'm supposed to... ascend, maybe.

No one can see me.

Nobody can hear me!

I'm just Tuka Hall.

Stuck here until...

Lee stopped by.

I just came by to make sure you're good. Or as good as possible.

Can I sit?

You did good at the services today.

What you said up there was perfect.

Nothing was perfect about today.

It's my fault. I killed her.

What are you talkin' about?

I should have stayed at that dumb-ass sideshow like she wanted.

Was easy. Could've just posted there.

I yelled at her, then I left.

I heard her calling my name, and I pretended I didn't.

I made her run after me. I ignored her.

You know that's not on you.

You were tired. It's okay to be that.

But I was...

You know I loved Tuka, but that girl never stopped.

Keeping up with her was impossible. Be real.

She was always doing the most.

Right? You know I am.

The only person you should blame is that coward who hit her and dipped.

That don't help.

That guy gets away with it 1,000% of the time.

You went to the cops yet?

I gave a description of the car and the driver a couple days ago.

Can't even get a callback.

So let's go over there. Make 'em listen.

Now?

Let me change.

Thanks, Lee.

Look, I'm not aiming to be a dick.

Your description, it literally matches thousands of men in the system.

Now, the car? Likely in a chop shop.

Nine pages of search results for "auto body near me."

Where would you start?

There were a ton of people at that illegal sideshow.

Our detectives walked every inch of that precinct,

spoke to everyone.

- No one's talking. - All people do is jaw jack.

Not when we're around.

Shoulda known sooner.

So, that's it? That's all that y'all do?

Come back with more information, and you have my word, we'll act on it.

Yep. That's my girl!

That's hella extra, Sterling.

Hey, I'm sorry.

She's just real upset. That girl was her best friend.

She should be upset. Nothing fair about it.

I thought this might help her move on, but... I don't know.

She could be stuck on this forever.

You know, Officer, Lee's right.

Sterling clearly needs help.

Maybe that's why I'm not in the white light or whatever.

You think cops have it hard? Nobody talks to dead people either.

Then again, they don't stop talkin' when I come around.

I could use that.

Come on, seven! Feel real lucky. Daddy needs train fare.

So we pulled a fast little lick. It was me, Tyshon, Merv.

Caught a smooth rack, cashed out baby moms. You know the deal.

So, then I was like, "Forget his cattin' ass.

He got me for a hundred dollars."

So, I showed up to the hut with the burner like...