Dear Martin

Justyce goes to the Friedman's house and finds SJ sprawled out in her room with a calculus book. Justyce reveals that he is there simply to see her, and when she asks if everything is okay, he sweeps her into a hug "that lifts her off her feet" (168). He tells her everything about going to see Quan and his visit with Martel, starting to cry at some point. However, he isn't embarrassed as "it's the best he's felt since...well, since before he can remember" (169) and SJ has taken him into her arms. When they separate, SJ asks Justyce point blank whether he likes her. She tells him that she's had a crush on him for a while and has developed deeper feelings more recently, but she has a hard time determining whether Justyce feels the same. Justyce's hesitation to respond causes SJ to try to brush off the conversation. Justyce reveals that his mom has never wanted him to date a white girl. However, Justyce tells SJ that he can't let that stop him anymore and asks her on a date. 

Garrett Tison's house was deliberately set on fire. Officials thought it was arson from the start given the threats Mrs. Tison has been receiving while her husband awaits trial. Three teenage boys who were near the scene have been taken into custody. Mrs. Tison is in serious condition with second-degree burns. Garrett Tison's trial is scheduled to begin in five weeks. 

A pair of police officers approach Justyce and his mother at graduation. When Justyce tells the police that he doesn't know anything about the arson, the officers reveal that they've arrested Brad and Trey, Black Jihad members, who named Justyce "as an accomplice" (178). Justyce admits that he had been in touch with those guys once but hadn't been with them on the night of the arson because he was at his girlfriend's house. When asked if they could speak to his girlfriend, Justyce points out that she and her mother are headed toward them. Both his contact with Black Jihad members and the revelation of a girlfriend jar Justyce's mother. The officers admit that they were dubious regarding Justyce's involvement and they part ways.

On the drive home, Justyce's mother doesn't speak. When she goes to get out, Justyce cajoles her into talking with him. She admits that she's upset at how much she had to learn about her own son in a conversation with the police. While Justyce tries to explain that SJ brings out the best in him and makes him happy, his mother questions why he couldn’t find a Black girl to do the same, telling him that he simply won't get her blessing in his relationship with SJ. His mother questions whether she should have even sent him to Braselton Prep, as it filled his head with foolishness, and she's afraid that "this world is hard enough for a boy like [him] without the extra obstacles" (183).

Justyce is on the witness stand in the Garrett Tison's trial. Mr. Rentzen, the DA, uses his questioning to tell the story of "two college-bound African-American boys, gunned down at a traffic light by an angry white man who used a racial slur" (184). Tison's defense attorney starts to question Justyce, and the tone is quite different. First, she focuses on the reason the boys didn't go hiking as planned, leading Justyce to admit that Manny had hit Jared and was upset when he learned that Jared's parents were pressing charges. Then, she asks about the night that Justyce hit Blake and Jared, using these instances to suggest that Manny and Justyce were violent if they felt slighted.

From there, Tison's attorney introduces the city noise ordinance, leading Justyce to agree that Manny turned the music up when asked to turn it down, that some of the lyrics dealt with gun violence, and that Manny made an obscene gesture toward Tison. She also makes sure to remind the jury that Tison had seen his partner shot, that Justyce had met with the person who shot Tison's partner, and that Justyce had met with gang members shortly before some of them set Tison's house on fire. While Justyce points out that much of what she is saying is taken out of context, Justyce can feel himself getting upset and he can see similar distress on the faces of those who are there to support him. 

Garrett Tison was found guilty on three of the four charges; however, after 27 hours of deliberation, the jury "was unable to reach a consensus regarding the felony murder charge" (193), meaning that a mistrial was declared. During the trial, Tison claimed that he was in mortal peril and that his record should support his ability to recognize that kind of threat. There was no evidence that there was a gun in the teen's car, but Justyce's connections with gang members, particularly the young man who killed Tison's partner, "cast a considerable pall over the proceedings" (193). Another trial will occur and then Tison will be sentenced for all convictions. 

Two days after the declaration of a mistrial, Justyce can't stop thinking about how he will have to testify again. Justyce knows that SJ is also having difficulty focusing, especially given that "nothing in the world frustrates Sarah-Jane Friedman more than a 'miscarriage of justice' (194-95). Justyce laments that these things lay so heavy on their minds. After all, they are just two weeks away from leaving for college. After Justyce ignores Rentzen's attempts at contact, Mrs. Friedman enters the room with him on the phone. She tells the kids that Tison is dead and there won't be a second trial. 

Two days after the mistrial, Garrett Tison "was found dead inside his cell at the Clarke County Jail" (198). Details are not confirmed, but it is thought that three men, two of whom are already charged in other murders, were involved in his death. Tison's attorney claims that Tison said he was not being held in isolation as requested. 

In Justyce's first letter to Dr. King since shortly after Manny's death, he writes from his desk at Yale. Justyce questions why he started writing the letters and aspiring to be like King in the first place, especially given that he wasn't "trying to move mountains of injustice or fight for the equal rights of masses of people" (199). However, Justyce acknowledges that he ought to thank King, as his actions were partly responsible for Justyce's opportunity to attend a university like Yale. Justyce goes on to explain that despite being thankful for his opportunity at Yale, he feels very out of place. His roommate looked down his nose at him from the start and was even less friendly after meeting SJ.

Justyce admits that he's not sure of the reasons for his roommate's behavior, and he realizes that whenever someone treats him as inferior he tends to assume it's because of his race because of his experiences in the past year. Justyce realizes that maybe he should have been asking what kind of man King would be, which Justyce knows that he would be himself. Justyce recognizes that he doesn’t really know himself well enough to be the best version of himself yet. Justyce refers to King's early writings and muses that King likely didn't know who he was at 17 either, giving Justyce hope that he will figure things out as he gets older. 

When Justyce approaches Manny's grave, Jared is already there. Jared, visibly upset, expresses how much he misses Manny, his first friend. Justyce tears up, too, understanding how Jared feels. Conversation turns to Yale, where Jared is a student as well. Jared reveals that he has decided to pursue civil rights law, despite his father's disapproval. Justyce discloses his discomfort with his roommate as well as the solidity of his relationship with SJ. Justyce and Jared lapse into a comfortable silence as they gaze upon Manny's headstone. When Justyce suggests that Jared come with him to New York to see SJ one weekend, Jared warms to the idea and says he'd like that. As Justyce feels Manny's closeness through the initials on his watchband and reads the words inscribed on his headstone, Justyce says he'd like it, too.