Long Way Down

A chubby, light-skinned stranger with a mop of dirty brown hair gets into the elevator. He doesn’t acknowledge anyone, so Will figures he’s real and not a ghost like the others. Will is embarrassed about having wet himself, but he’s relieved he’s not entirely crazy. Buck starts trying to get the stranger’s attention, and the man finally turns. Buck asks if the man is Frick, and the man reluctantly says he is as he shakes Buck’s hand. Smiling, Buck asks if Frick remembers him and shows off the back of his T-shirt. Frick looks confused for a second, and then opens his arms to Buck and asks, “what’s good?” Will thinks that nothing is good. Buck introduces Frick to everyone in the elevator, including Will, whom he refers to as Shawn’s little brother.

Before Frick can say anything, Will asks how Buck knows Frick and why Frick is in the elevator. Buck scoffs and says that Frick murdered him. Will is shocked and can’t formulate a coherent thought; he can only ask “wait” and “what” again and again. Buck starts to explain, but then stop to asks Frick why he’s called by that nickname. Frick says that his real name is Frank, but that he’s a twin, and his uncle called him and his sister Frick and Frack. Buck pauses and says that because of Frick, the only reason people in the neighborhood know Buck’s legal name is because it’s on his tombstone.

Buck’s legal name was James, but he always went by Buck. Buck was short for “young-buck,” a joke name Buck’s stepfather gave him because he couldn’t grow facial hair. Will explains that Buck was two-sided: he had a stepdad and a real dad. His stepdad, a preacher, raised him, but Buck’s real dad seemed to hold more sway. He was a bank robber who would steal anything. According to gossip, Buck learned to be good, but the bad was still in his blood. Will wonders if badness is the “nighttime” his mother talks about. The nighttime will put a gun in one’s hand and sharpen one’s teeth.

At first, Buck sold drugs on the corner, but he stopped after Pop got shot. Then, Buck became Shawn’s stand-in big brother and started robbing suburban neighborhoods. He mainly stole money, but sometimes sneakers and jewelry, which he loved to show off. Now, Will is shocked to learn that Frick killed Buck. Buck throws a hand on Frick’s shoulder and asks Will if Shawn never told him the story. Will says that Shawn never talked much about it; he’d just said that someone shot Buck and that he knew who it was. Will remembers Shawn’s dark face and the cops coming to ask questions. Shawn said nothing. He locked himself in his room, and the next day, Will caught him putting bullets into the gun clip.

Buck explains that he and Shawn were drinking at the basketball court. Shawn was talking about getting into a little fight with a Dark Sun, since he had to go down to the store to buy special soap for his mother. Will thinks it’d be dumb to tell Buck about how important that soap is to their mother, so instead he says that Riggs was the Dark Sun that Shawn was talking about. Buck replies he doesn’t know the guy’s name, but apparently the guy ran up to Shawn and insisted that Shawn didn’t belong there. Buck says that Shawn was upset because he and this kid had grown up together, but Buck advised Shawn to let it go—however, Shawn was always emotional. Will knows Shawn was talking about Riggs.

Buck says that while Shawn was talking about this guy, he was trying to show Shawn a chain he stole from a kid in the suburbs. The terrified kid had handed it over right away. Will asks what this has to do with Frick. Buck tells Will to hold on and says that he gave Shawn the gold chain because Shawn was so upset about the Dark Sun. After this, Shawn left the basketball court. With a smile, Frick interjects that this is where he comes in. Meanwhile, Will explains to the reader how to become a Dark Sun: one must live nine blocks from Will’s building, obtain a cigarette burn under the right eye, and perform a “Dark Deed”—robbing, beating, or killing someone. Will thinks that Dark Suns must also be “corny.”

Frick says that for his initiation, his Dark Deed was, funny enough, just to rob Buck. Will doesn’t think this is funny at all. Frick says that everyone knew Buck always had stolen things on him, but nobody would mess with him because of his fathers. Will explains that “gangstas” always respect older, original gangstas (OGs) and preachers who act like gangstas. Frick explains that his plan was to steal from Buck at the basketball court, but when he pulled his gun on Buck, Buck laughed. Buck told Frick he couldn’t deal with a dude who seemed as silly as the suburban kid he just stole from. Everyone on the elevator except Will laughs.

Frick brushes off the laughter and says that nobody can fault him for trying to earn his stripes. He catches Pop and Uncle Mark’s eyes, and they both nod and agree. Frick continues his story and says that Buck swung at him like Frick wasn’t holding a gun. Frick got scared and pulled the trigger. At this, Buck makes a gun with his fingers and says, “Bang-bang.” Will asks what this has to do with Shawn, and Frick answers that Shawn followed the Rules. Will swallows and struggles to get words out. Buck puts the finger gun against Frick’s chest and says “bang-bang” again. Frick corrects Buck and says that Shawn only pulled the trigger once. Will thinks of the 15 bullets in his gun.

Frick laments that Shawn killed him before he got his “Shining” and rubs under his right eye. Then, he yanks down his collar to reveal a disgusting, bloody hole in his chest. He says that Shawn’s fingerprints are in his chest somewhere. Buck laughs and says he’s certain it’s Shawn’s middle fingerprint. When everyone’s done laughing, Will asks how Shawn knew Frick killed Buck. Buck explains that there was only one other person who was at the court every night. He was a young kid trying to dunk: Tony. Will tells the reader that Tony’s talk isn’t snitching; snitching is specifically talking to police. When Tony talks, it’s a way for him to seem bigger and more important.

Buck asks Will how he knows that Riggs got Shawn. Will says it makes sense—Riggs avenged Frick’s death. Dani pipes up and asks Frick if he knows Riggs. Will gives a quick description of Riggs, but Frick looks confused and asks who he’s talking about. Will wishes he knew an anagram for “poser.” Frick looks at Will like he’s crazy, turns around, and stares at the elevator door. Will realizes he can only see his own reflection in the door. Frick pulls out his own cigarettes and lights one. Finally, the elevator stops.