This short story is the first of three about a tiny, often-picked-on boy called Sonny and you probably know him. He’s friends with the hardheaded, manly-boy Sir and the precocious and adventurous Geala. (Gee-yah-la.) You probably know them too.

Maybe you saw them in that broken-down, heart-hurting ghetto that you passed on your way to somewhere else.

After Sonny does what he does to survive, he’s ready for the tied day of Geala’s girl-to-woman 12th birthday party, and Sir’s boy-to-man going away. But there’s a secret Sonny must get out before it’s too late.

About A Boy explores what it means to be a man and woman in this world. It dives into sexuality, race, poverty, and uncovering one’s identity, all while surviving in a reckless neighborhood of lost adults and rebellious kids. At the heart, this story is really about love. Whatever that means to you.