How can i make this sound better for my novel?

"This is my lawyer Jackie Chiles; Senator Carcetti" Mitch said introducing the pair. "He's the one who set this up through your right-hand, Cellini". It was New Years Eve and it was a meeting taking place in his office. Jackie grew up with Mitch in Brownsville, Brooklyn's Tilden projects. He wanted so bad to be like Mitch and the rest of the knuckleheads but it just wasn't in him. Mitch knew this so he kept Jackie around when they were just hanging. But when it came down to the robberies and other crimes he told Jackie to stay behind. Jackie sometimes resented Mitch for that. Now when he looked back on it he thanked him. All the dudes he wanted to be like were either dead, in jail, or had a felony wishing they hadn't done what they did. Mitch wanted Jackie to be a criminal defense lawyer and that's exactly what Jackie did after graduating from Howard University. He often thought back on what Mitch told him:Just do the school thing by the time you 25 you won't have to worry about nothing. Mitch was right once again, at the age of 24 he was a millionaire. He also thanked Mitch alot for defending him continously when they were growing up. Jackie was constantly picked on because he was always seen with books when most dudes from the hood couldn't read.