Khalil is portrayed as a significant companion to Starr, with their relationship deeply rooted in shared childhood memories. They both recall specific instances from their past, such as their first kiss and favorite songs, highlighting their close bond.
When Khalil smiled at Starr she stated "His dimples ruin any G persona he has"
Brown-Skinned
In the book when Khalil was walking to Starr she stated that "The sea of people part for him like he is a brown-skinned Moses"
Person to Person
Khalil's mom is addicted to drugs and was not there to raise and provide for Khalil. Starr stated "I remember the nights I spend with Khalil waiting on his porch for his mother to come back". Khalil also said that "she'll go clean for weeks, and then decide she wants one more hits and goes back at it". She is not able be there for Khalil to help provide for the family.
This conflict was not solved as Khalil's mom just relied on drugs to live and barely came home, this caused Khalil to turn to gangs so he is able to provide for himself and his family. He had no parent there for him to give him advice or any tips. He was basically there himself and with his mo out the picture and no way to make money he focused on being a drug dealer. Maverick gave Khalil advice on several different occasions but at the end of the day it is really his mother's job to guide him. Khalil acted like he did not care about his mother but he spent nights waiting for which shows he really does deeply care about her,
In the book Khalil's mom tells Maverick that Khalil was "selling that stuff" and Starr was really dissapointed as he was selling the same stuff that took his mother. His mother stated that "this neighbourhood makes young men deaf to their elders". Starr also stated that if the world was to know about Khalil he would only be known as a drug dealer that got shot and he would not be seen as important in society.
They conflict was not solved as Starr attended a prominently white private school were everyone lives in a rich neighbourhood. Due to the news being out in the media many people believed that the cops actually did society a favour by getting rid of a drug dealer in their community, many people also used this as a excuse to get out of class as well. Starr attended the school and did not say anything as she did not want to show that she was involved in the incident. Even if Khalil was a drug dealer in no right way is a cop obligated to shoot someone for mistakenly thinking they have a weapon, they need to be completely sure before they make any moves. Even if Khalil was a drug dealer he had a hairbrush was easily can be seen different from a gun, and the cop was completely in the wrong here by shooting
In the book Khalil gets pulled over by a cop as he is leaving a party where gunshots were fired. The cop asks Khalil for license and registration but Khalil fails to cooperate with cop. Khalil keeps asking the cop "what you pull us over for", the cop then asks "where are you coming from?" Khalil responds with "none of your business". The cop then tells Khalil not to move but Khail fails to cooperate and makes an attempt to get back into the car
The conflict does not get solved because as Khalil tries to get back in the car the cop mistakes a hairbrush as a gun, and because of this this officer fifteen ended up firing shots at Khalil resulting in injustice being served. This could have been avoided though if Khalil chose to cooperate with the police, but in no way at all was it appropriate for the cop to fire shots especially if he was not completely sure that Khalil was carrying a weapon. After the incident justice was not served to Khalil and the cop did not face any consequences for his actions.
Companion of Starr
Khalil is successful in the role of being the companion of Starr as both Starr and Khalil remember all childhood memories they had together. For example when Starr stated "I feel like i'm ten again standing in the basement of Christ Temple Church, having my first kiss with him", he also remembered that Drake was Starr's favourite singer as it played on the speakers at the party. When Starr went to Khalil's house after the incident she remembered all the specific childhood memories they had there, for example when Khalil was leaving she stated how she remembered "Khalil used to run up to the car when I was about to go, the sun shining on his grease lines that separated his cornrows. This shows that Khalil and Starr had a great bond and even as they grew up they still remembered all the specific personalities and hobbies of each other, as well as different memories they had with each other.
Humorous
This personality trait helps Khalil because it allows him bond with others, and he can completely change people's mood to happy, like what he did to Starr. His jokes entertain others, and just helps get rid of all the issues going on in life. This causes Khalil to easily make friends with others, and create a positive environment, as compared to being sad, or angry. This can really enlighten other people's days.
In the book Khalil demonstrates this personality trait when he meets Starr at the party and Drake starts playing, he messes around with Starr and says "can't believe you still love whiny-ass Drake as that is Starr's favourite singer, he then sings in a whiny voice "baby you my everything you all I ever wanted" to impersonate Drake. Starr then shares a laugh with Khalil, and finds the jokes funny. It seems like Khalil kept Starr entertained as before he came Starr felt like she did not belong at the party, and just wanted to leave as soon as possible.
Obstinate
This personality trait hurts Khalil because as he did not cooperate with the cops in the book it led to an incident where the police performed an act of injustice against Khalil. The police were wrong in this but it could have been completely avoided by Khalil if he had just cooperated with the cop and did whatever he said. This shows that Khalil is going to stand with whatever he thinks is right, and that other people's opinion will not change his view. This can cause conflicts though as if Khalil does not agree with someone else it can cause an altercation where Khalil wants other to believe the same point as him.
In the book Khalil demonstrates this personality trait when the cops pulled him over and asked for license and registration, he responded with "what you pull us over for?" and continues to repeat that as the cop asks for license registration repeatedly. The cop then asks where he was coming from and he told the cop '"none of your business" the cop then tells Khalil to stay where he is but Khalil ignores it and tries to hop back in the car". This shows that Khalil is obstinate as he believed that the cop had no business pulling him over so he did not have to follow any instructions that were given. He basically believed he was right and the cop had no business pulling him over
Affectionate
This personality trait benefits Khalil because it allows him to create strong and loving relationship with others. For example Khalil had a strong bond with his grandmother and always tried his best to do whatever he can to help her treat cancer. Of course it takes money to go through the different treatments and Khalil tried his best to provide. Khalil also was able to develop a strong friendship with Starr as they both grew up with each other, and he treated her with nothing but kindness and respect. Through this he was able to create strong healthy relationships with others that lasted long.
Khalil demonstrates being affectionate for his family in the book when Starr asks how his sick grandma and family is doing and he responded with "i'm good Cameron's good, Grandma's good, that's all that matters". This shows that Khalil always put his family first and always is going to do what he can to keep his family safe. He then talks about how his mom is addicted to drug when he said "she claim she trying to get clean, but it's the usual". Khalil is still a young teenager and he should not be the one working to provide for his family, and instead it should be his mother. But even through this Khalil still works to make money for his family due to the amount affection he has for his loved ones.