Officer Delaney’s fist connected with Marcus Johnson’s face with enough force to snap his head backward.

The handcuffed 17-year-old straightened slowly before being roughly shoved into the back seat.

As the patrol car pulled away from the curb, Marcus closed his eyes and focused on his breathing, knowing his father would soon be wondering why he hadn’t returned from basketball practice and knowing with absolute certainty that the officers who thought they were teaching some random Black kid a lesson had just made the most catastrophic mistake of their careers.

They had assaulted the only son of the state attorney general.

The rhythmic bounce of the basketball against the pavement matched Marcus Johnson’s heartbeat as he made his way home from evening practice.

The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the suburban streets, painting the world in hues of amber and gold.

At 17, Marcus carried himself with the grace of an athlete and the focus of a scholar, his 6’2″ frame moving with purpose as droplets of sweat still clung to his dark skin despite the quick shower he’d taken after Coach Williams had finally called it a day.

Marcus adjusted his headphones, allowing the smooth beats of Kendrick Lamar to wash over him as he replayed the practice in his mind.

Coach had been particularly impressed with his three-point shooting today, suggesting he might start in Friday’s game against Westside High.

The thought brought a small smile to his face.

Starting as a junior would look good on college applications, another achievement to add alongside his 3.9 GPA and volunteer work at the community center.

Rolling his shoulders to ease the pleasant ache of a good workout, Marcus shifted his gym bag to his other shoulder and checked the time on his phone.

He’d promised his father he’d be home by 6:30 for dinner, which gave him about 20 minutes to make the 15-minute walk.

His father, always punctual, valued timeliness almost as much as he valued integrity, a trait that had served William Johnson well in his career as the state’s attorney general.

Marcus had grown up watching his father build a reputation for fairness and accountability, lessons that had shaped his own approach to life.

As he turned onto Maple Street, crossing from the more commercial area surrounding the high school into the residential neighborhood where sprawling homes sat back from tree-lined streets, Marcus noticed the gradual change in his surroundings.