 Simon and Shuster Audio presents Dear Martin by Nick Stone Read for you by Dion Graham To K&M Be your best and to Mr. Casey Weeks Consider this my quietess I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech December 10, 1964 Part 1 Chapter 1 From where we standing across the street Justice can sear Mellow Taylor, ex-girlfriend slumped over beside her bends on the damp concrete of the farm-fresh parking lot. She's missing a shoe and the contents of her purse are scattered around her like the guts of a pulled party-popper. He knows she's stone-drunk, but this is too much, even for her. Just shakes his head, remembering the judgment all over his best friend Manny's face as he left Manny's house not fifteen minutes ago. The walk symbol appears. As he approaches, she opens her eyes and he waves and pulls his earbuds out just in time to hear her say, What the hell are you doing here? Justice asks himself the same question as he watches her try and fail to shift to her knees. She falls over sideways and hits her face against the car door. He drops down and reaches for a cheek, which is as red as the candy-apple paint job. Damn, Mellow, are you okay? She pushes his hand away. What do you care? Stung, Justice, takes a deep breath. He cares a lot. Obviously. If he didn't, he wouldn't have walked a mile from Manny's house at three in the morning. Manny's of the opinion that Mellow's the worst thing that ever happened to Jess, so of course he refused to give his boy a ride. All to keep his drunken disaster of an ex from driving. He should walk away right now. Justice should. But he doesn't. Jessa called me. He tells her, That's kank. Don't be like that, babe. She only called me because she cares about you. Jessa had planned to take Mellow home herself, but Mellow threatened to call the cops and say she'd been kidnapped if Jessa didn't drop her at her car. Mellow can be a little dramatic when she's drunk. I'm totally unfollowing her, she says, case in point. In life and online, nosy bitch. Justice shakes his head again. I just came to make sure you get home okay. That's when it hits justice that while he might succeed and get sample complete ready to continue.