Scorpions, first published on June 20, 1988, by Harper & Row, is a young adult novel written by Walter Dean Myers.

Randy is a 17-year-old who is the leader of the Scorpions, a local gang of drug dealers in New York City.

Jamal's family includes himself, Randy, his mother, his 3-year-old sister whose name is Lassy, and his father, Jason Hicks.

His mother soon finds out that his brother has been attacked and stabbed while in jail and is in medical care.

Other members want to vote on a new leader because they feel Randy is dead to them and that letting a 12-year-old join a gang would not be beneficial.