|
 As
a young street boy, Jerome lives by selling stolen items or clothing. It
is near The Lair that Jerome tries to sell socks to Margot Collins
first, then to Jake Morton and Pearl Bradford.
Right
away, Jake becomes fond of him. Jerome explains that he spends his days
on the street on his own. After a poker game with his new friends, he
explains that school is useless. Jake understands the distress that
inhabits him when he offers to find them a car radio, and decides to
help him. He offers him a deal : if he agrees to go back to school, he
will take him for a horse ride.
As
he leaves The Lair by bike, Jake only hears the sound of a car that
brakes, then a shock : Jerome is knocked over. Led to the hospital and
taken in charge by Dr.Scott Clark, Jerome dies shortly after, even
before arriving in the operating block, from internal bleeding.
His
death increases the guilt of Jake, who already bears the responsibility
for Hayley's death, and accentuates the anger of Scott, who thinks that
Jerome could have been better helped if he had been white or rich.
Portrait
written for this site by Lilian
|
