You've been saving for a $5,000 pair of sneakers?" He looked Khalil up and down, taking in his worn clothes and old shoes, and his voice dripped with condescension. "And your parents actually gave you money for it? Yeah, right." Khalil tried again.
"I'm telling you the truth. I have proof. Just let me show you." Pierce pulled out his handcuffs. "There's no need to check any of that.
Of course you have receipts, but I know you acquired those sneakers illegally one way or another. We'll be finding that out at the station. You're under arrest." Khalil's voice rose. "You can't arrest me.
I didn't do anything wrong." Pierce grabbed Khalil's arm and spun him around roughly, forcing his hands behind his back. Khalil tried to pull away, but Pierce twisted his arms and snapped the handcuffs onto his wrists with enough force to leave marks. The shopping bag fell to the ground, and Pierce kicked it aside. By now, a crowd had gathered.
People walking past had stopped to watch. Other passengers waiting at the bus stop were recording on their phones. And the whispers started spreading through the crowd loud enough for everyone to hear. "He stole those sneakers." "I heard they cost thousands of dollars."
"Can't believe he thought he'd get away with it." "They finally caught him." Courtney Blake stood off to the side with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face, looking satisfied with herself like she had just done something heroic. And inside Sole Elite Boutique, Ryan Mitchell was finishing his shift and getting ready to leave for the day when he heard the commotion outside and the voices from the crowd saying that a black boy was getting arrested for stealing expensive sneakers. Ryan walked to the window and looked out, and his stomach dropped when he saw Khalil standing in handcuffs.