Long Way Down

On the sixth floor the elevator stops and a beautiful woman gets on. She’s around the same age as Will. She comments on the cigarette smoke coming from Buck, which Will takes as a good sign—he’s not crazy if she can see Buck too. As Will admires the girl, she asks him questions, finally circling around to ask him about his gun. He balks, saying he doesn’t ask strangers questions like that, but she eerily replies, “But / I do / Know / You / Will” (122). Suddenly, Will is propelled back to memories of a childhood crush, Dani. He recognizes the woman in front of him as a grown version of that eight-year-old girl.

Will recalls Dani’s sudden and traumatic death on the playground. She describes the burning in her body as Shawn lay on top of her and Will, trying to protect them from the flying bullets. Will watched as the light left Dani’s eyes. Will describes his grief after her death, as Shawn taught him the first rule: “I stood in the shower / the next morning / after Shawn taught me / the first rule, / no crying / feeling like / I wanted to scratch / my skin off scratch / my eyes out punch / through something” (136).