Contents
Two
Overview
During a traffic stop, Officer One-Fifteen kills unarmed Khalil in front of Starr after citing a broken taillight. The shooting realizes Starr’s parents’ earlier warnings about police encounters, traumatizing Starr and setting the central conflict in motion: the pursuit of truth and justice amid fear and systemic bias.
Summary
Starr recalls two talks from age twelve: her mother’s frank sex talk and her parents’ instructions for surviving police encounters. Those rules echo in her mind as Officer One-Fifteen pulls over Khalil’s car on a deserted street.
The officer demands license, registration, and proof of insurance. Khalil questions the reason for the stop, and the officer cites a broken taillight. After Khalil complies, the officer orders him out, frisks him multiple times, finds nothing, and tells Khalil and Starr not to move while he returns to his patrol car.
Despite Starr’s memory of the rules—keep hands visible, don’t move—Khalil opens his door to check on Starr. Interpreting the movement as a threat, Officer One-Fifteen fires three shots. Khalil collapses beside the car, bleeding heavily and unresponsive.
Starr rushes to Khalil’s side, overwhelmed by grief and trauma, flashing back to witnessing her friend Natasha’s death years before. As Khalil dies, Officer One-Fifteen points his gun at Starr and orders her to keep her hands up, leaving her terrified and frozen.
Who Appears
- StarrNarrator and witness; recalls parental safety talks and watches Officer One-Fifteen fatally shoot Khalil.
- KhalilDriver and Starr’s friend; questioned over a broken taillight, frisked, then shot unarmed after moving toward the car.
- Officer One-FifteenWhite officer who stops the car, cites a broken taillight, frisks Khalil, and fatally shoots him.
- LisaStarr’s mother; earlier gave frank guidance on sex and cautions about police encounters.
- Starr’s dadWarned Starr to comply with police and keep hands visible; his advice echoes during the stop.