Michael Caesar walked through the hallway of his school, like he owned them. A few girls sighed upon seeing him as a few of the guys gave him respect through fist bumps. Huey Freeman then came into view. It had been quite a few years since the two freedom fighters first met. Their rivalry quickly became friendship. A friendship that Caesar wouldn't change for anything in the world.
Huey opened the door to his locker, "Still takin' your time, I see."
"Heh, you know me well man."
Huey smirked briefly, "You haven't been late yet though."
"Yeah, so why you always sweatin' me? You hate school anyway."
Caesar chuckled at himself before glancing away. Huey's eyes caught the very same sight. His once best friend, Jazmine Dubois. When they were kids the girl was quite the outcast. Same as Huey. But once they hit High school everything changed. Caesar and Huey became friends and Jazmine became popular. She knew everyone in school and everyone knew her.
"Eh yo man, your girl's lookin' hot today."
Huey rolled his eyes without much word. Caesar always knew just how to push his buttons. And Jazmine was one of them. The two hadn't talked in months and hadn't been friends longer.
Jazmine's emerald green eyes shot away from her friends to glance Huey's way. He met her gaze with his usual scowl. Her eyes used to light up but these days they seemed to dim. A part of him wanted to know what was going on in her life. But that part of him always lost to his pride.
The part that ever stopped him from talking to her.
Jazmine's eyes fell soft before meeting his glare with one of her own. Her eyes shifted away from him soon after. She was now laughing and carrying on with one of her many friends. Huey let out a grunted sigh before slamming the door to his locker.
Caesar flinched, "Damn man. Anger issues much?"
"Shut up."
The Jamaican boy put his hands behind his head, "Seriously though, you should talk to her. I hear shit is going down at her crib."
"She has plenty of friends to talk to about her problems."
"Dude, you and I both know those white people don't give two shits about Jazzy."
Huey shot Caesar a glare, "Don't call her that."
Caesar met his glare with much puzzlement.
This caused Huey to sigh as he headed for class, "She's not our friend."
Everyone found their seats. Huey and Caesar sat near the windows with Jazmine sitting a few desks to the right of them. After about five minutes the students grew restless and started to move about. Their teacher was clearly late and they all took advantage of it. Huey took this time to pull out his newspaper and began reading. Caesar crumpled up some pieces of paper and used them like soccer balls. Jazmine stood up and leaned against the front of her desk as a few students surrounded her to talk. Huey didn't have to look up to know. He rolled his eyes at the thought alone.
Jazmine was laughing quite loudly until Andrew walked inside their classroom. Huey didn't like Andrew. The boy was bad news and lately he had his eye on Jazmine. Jazmine smiled as she welcomed him into her little circle. The group joked and carried on until Andrew asked to speak to Jazmine alone. Jazmine was surprised by it but kept her smile none the less. Huey could hear them. His ears were trained very well. He easily blocked out Caesar and the rest of the classroom and locked onto Andrew and Jazmine's conversation.
"So, are you comin' to my party Jazz?"
Jazmine glanced to the side before looking back at him.
"Come on. It won't be a party without you."
His hand found its way to one of the curls by her ear.
"I-I uh…I'm not sure. I have a lot going on right now and daddy wouldn—"
Andrew smirked ever so slyly, "Just tell him you're sleepin' over Mcphearson's house. I have a party every Friday night and every Friday night you aren't there. You're breaking my heart, Jazz."
One of Caesar's paper balls hit Andrew in the head. Caesar blinked as he looked down and noticed that the stray ball wasn't kicked by him but by Huey. Huey didn't look up from his paper and rolled his eyes.
"Oops." Was all he said.
Andrew glared at him before focusing his attention back on Jazmine, "Anyway…will you come?"
Jazmine eyed Huey from across the room before turning back to Andrew. Her smile returned as she brushed his shoulder with her hand, "You know what? Yeah, I'll come."
Huey gripped down on the edges of his paper.
"Great~" Andrew sounded overly thrilled, "But one thing…" He then leaned into her and whispered something into her ear.
Jazmine blushed slightly but looked almost offended.
"You want me to straighten my hair?" She questioned out loud.
Caesar over heard and glanced Huey's way; knowing full well what could come of this.
"Yeah. Can you do that for me?"
Jazmine pulled back a bit and started playing with her fingers nervously, "I-I don't know. It's really hard to do. I've tried and it never works…"
Andrew's smile dropped, "Hey, if you didn't want to come to my party you should have just said so."
Jazmine shook her head frantically. Andrew was toying with her and Huey knew that. The girl was far too easy to manipulate.
"N-no, I do…wanna come. Okay, I'll straighten it." Jazmine replied with a soft voice and weak smile.
Andrew's smile reappeared, "Good. See you then." And he left.
Jazmine breathed out once he was gone. It was as if she had been holding in her breath the entire time he was there. Her body fell back and hit the tip of her desk lightly. The girl looked physically drained; just from a simple conversation.
"You shouldn't do it, ya know."
Jazmine's eyes widened and shot to the side of her. Huey was still sitting at his desk with his paper out. He didn't even bother to lower it and look at her. Caesar frowned as he tried to pretend he couldn't hear either of them.
"And why not?" Venom found its way into that soft little voice of hers. Her eyes no longer looked shocked but angry.
"To start with, he's using you for sex. You're probably the only virgin left in this school. Secondly, he just wants you to look as white as possible because he's a racist piece of shit."
Jazmine clenched her fists, "Who the…HELL do you think you are!?"
Her outburst caused the entire student body to quiet down. All eyes were on Jazmine Dubois now, including Huey's. He raised his eyebrow at her as he set his paper down. Caesar glanced from Jazmine to Huey then back to Jazmine again. He wasn't one for confrontation or fighting.
"H-hey, come on now Jazzy…Huey was just-"
"Just what? Looking out for me? Like he's been looking out for me all these years? Oh, wait a minute."
Huey glared as he stood from his desk, "Last time I checked, you don't speak to me either."
"And why do you think that is, Huey Freeman? You're the one who stopped talking to me!"
"Bullshit."
Huey's voice remained flat but irritation was slipping through.
Caesar winced and looked away. Huey was the smartest person he knew but when it came to Jazmine…the boy was downright retarded. He remembered the day he met the two. Jazmine had such a clear crush on Huey. Caesar thought it was cute but Huey seemed to find her annoying. As the two boys became friends, he just stopped talking to Jazmine. He blew her off every time she tried. And after all these years the teenage revolutionist still didn't see it. He didn't notice Jazmine was no longer his friend until it was too late. And then the boy blamed her.
"Are you kidding me? YOU replaced ME!"
Huey didn't seem to like Jazmine's tone. Nor the way she was attacking him.
"Jesus, Jazmine. I didn't realize you were so damn jealous of Caesar. Anything for attention though, right?"
Jazmine's anger didn't leave her face. But the tears came without warning, and poured as she rushed out of the classroom. Their teacher nearly bumped into the hysterical girl but Jazmine spun around him. Huey stood there for a moment before taking his seat. All the girls in the room smirked. They began to talk amongst themselves and instantly they were gossiping about Jazmine.
The very same girls she called her friends.
Caesar shook his head as the teacher tried to get someone to tell him what happened.
"That was cold, Huey."
Huey didn't look up from his paper. His face fell into his default expression. But he didn't want Caesar to see his eyes. He knew his friend well and his friend knew him. He was pissed. But not at Jazmine.
At himself.
No one heard from Jazmine after that. Each class the boys went to was absent of the girl. It wasn't until lunchtime that word got out of the sick girl. Her father was said to of had picked her up. Caesar didn't bother bringing Jazmine back up after that. The two remained silent throughout most of the day and by the end, Caesar headed home. Normally, he went to Huey's house but today was different. Huey wanted to be alone and Caesar knew that with or without a word.
Huey headed to his own home. Before he arrived, however, his eyes glanced to the Dubois residence. Caesar mentioned earlier how things were going down over there. Normally the whole block could hear Tom and Sarah fighting. But Huey heard nothing. He assumed everything was close to fine but, thinking about it now, not hearing them fight should have been a sign in and of itself. He thought about walking over there. He should apologize. But, he didn't. Instead, he looked away from her house and headed inside his own.
Jazmine sat with her legs pulled close to her chest. Her arms were wrapped around them, giving her some comfort. Her father was home but she didn't want to talk to him. She didn't want to talk to anyone. The second she got home, Jazmine turned off her cell phone. The thought of all the text messages she would have almost made the mulatto flinch.
She ignored most all of them but stayed looking at Andrew's. She thought more on what Huey had said but only grew angry. Without even really thinking about it, she got off her bed and began getting ready. Finding the right outfit was normally a task for her but being so angry she didn't even think about what she pulled out of her closet. In five minutes she was in the shower and in fifteen she was out. Jazmine dressed and did her makeup. Last thing she needed to do was her hair. And boy, was that going to be a task and a half.
It took two hours for her to straighten her hair. And another hour to style it. Jazmine looked at herself in the mirror. She looked like a whole other person. A smirk came to her face at the thought. She wanted to be someone else.
Jazmine who?
There was no way her father would let her leave the house dressed as she was. So, she couldn't say she was going to Cindy's house. Jazmine bit her thumb nail nervously. Perhaps she should just give up? The thought crossed her mind but she shook it away.
Jazmine was determined.
She walked over to the window and opened it. The distance wasn't that far but she didn't want to hurt herself either. Turning to her bed she had an idea. It was a bit cliché but if it worked, it worked. Moments later her blankets were tied together, over the window sill and out she went. Jazmine hopped down once she was close enough to the ground.
She had never been to Andrew's house before. He sent her his address but it was too far away to walk. Her eyes glanced across the street and over to the Freeman household. Her feet moved without her knowledge and soon she was completely across the street. Jazmine's heart was pounding now and she wasn't sure why. Her hand rose to ring the doorbell. She noticed how much it was shaking. She was but inches away when her phone went off. Jazmine yelped and rushed away. Half way down the block she stopped to check it.
A text message from one of her friends, Krissy.
There was a sigh of relief then a smile. One of her girlfriends was in the area and decided to pick her up for the party. Jazmine didn't want her father to notice a car outside their house, so she walked towards the nearest convenience store and waited there. It took about ten minutes. The longest ten minutes of Jazmine's life. But soon she hopped into her friend's dad's car, and they headed to Andrew's party.
"Ugh, I saw those old men flirting with you."
Jazmine smiled weakly as she looked out the window, "They were sweet."
"More like gross. Girl, you need to learn how to be a little mean. Ya know. Like how you are with Freeman."
Jazmine winced at the sound of Huey's last name slipping out of such a white trash mouth. Her hands gripped down on her own dress as she focused her eyes to stay out the window.
"Yes, well…" was all she said.
She knew she had to say something.
"Not like he doesn't deserve it. Always thinkin' he knows everything. The boy doesn't know anything about white people. Why is he so damn racist? It's not our fault his people are lazy."
The music was blasting and yet you could still hear the straw break.
"Excuse me?"
"Oh come on, Jazz. Like you don't WISH you were full white? Look at your hair! You look gorgeous!"
Jazmine turned to face her friend now, "Are you saying I was ugly before?"
"What? No. But I mean…come on. Before you were just a mess."
"Are you seriously sitting here sayin' Huey's racist when you're clearly the racist one? Maybe if you actually stopped and LISTENED to what he was saying you'd understand that it isn't racism. It's empathy. It's the truth. How dare you tell me how I wish I was and wasn't. My mom's white and my dad's black. That makes me BOTH. And you know what? I'm damn proud of both. Though, right now…a part of me isn't. A part of me is damn ashamed to be white right now. Pull over."
"W-what?"
"I SAID PULL OVER."
The car came to a stop.
"What the hell is your problem, Jazz?"
Jazmine opened the door and slipped out of the car, "You know what my problem is? YOU." Then slammed the door behind her.
The car sped away. And even though Jazmine didn't regret a single word that she said, she did however, regret leaving the car. It was dark and late at night. She also had absolutely no idea where she was. But she did have her phone. Her eyes went down to it. For a moment she thought about calling her father but that thought left as quickly as it came.
Only one person came to her mind soon after, Huey…
She wanted to call him. Wanted to pretend like they never fought that day. That they were still friends and that he would be annoyed but still come.
Her heart raced again.
Maybe…
Jazmine took a deep breath and dialed.
Ringing…
Ringing…
Ringing…
And then…
"Hello?"
Jazmine's heart seized in her throat.
"Jazmine?"
She hung up.
There was no way she could speak to him. She thought that she could but the second she heard his voice, she knew that she couldn't. Jazmine knew Huey would call her back right away so she turned her phone off. Not a smart move but she was seriously afraid of speaking to him.
Irrationally so.
Jazmine stood still for a moment. Just staring at her cell phone. Even turned off she was frightened by it. So, she put it away and started walking back. She tried to remember exactly what route Krissy took. Jazmine wasn't the best with direction and it was pretty dark out. But she was more stubborn than anything else. Therefore, she walked. And she continued walking until she knew for sure that she was lost.
"Ugh…way to go Jazmine…" She mumbled to herself.
Suddenly, a car honked close to Jazmine's frame. She jumped up and spun around. The lights were too bright though, which made it difficult for her to make out the vehicle. Her heart yearned for it to be Dorothy. That somehow, Huey had found her. Then, she heard Andrew's voice.
"Hey, Jazz!"
Jazmine frowned before smiling weakly. She nodded her head and walked over. Shyly, she put her hands behind her back and peered into the car. Andrew flashed her a smile before gesturing with his head for her to get in.
Jazmine obeyed, "Hey Andrew…h-how did you find me?"
"I was worried when Krissy showed up without you. She told me you freaked out and hopped out of the car. So, here I am. Still want to go to my party?"
Jazmine looked down at her lap, "N-not really…"
"That's alright. Want me to take you home instead?"
Her eyes lit up a bit as she nodded her head weakly, "Thank…you."
"No problem."
Jazmine watched his eyes closely. Huey was great at reading people. He knew when they were sincere and when they were lying. He always claimed that eyes held people's true intentions and feelings. But Jazmine wasn't good with such a trait. The only people she was able to read were her parents and Huey. She knew of Andrew's reputation with women. But none of them seemed to hate Andrew because of it. He was always nice to her and her friends. Even still, the thought of Huey's warning still lingered in her mind.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked suddenly snapping Jazmine from her trance.
Jazmine played with the end of her dress shyly, "N-no thank you."
The boy didn't press her. He only raised the volume of the radio a bit. Jazmine enjoyed listening to the music playing. Her mind focused on the music the whole ride and by the time they passed her house, she hardly noticed. Andrew's hands gripped the wheel slightly.
"You look amazing, Jazmine."
Jazmine's eyes shot up. The song she was currently listening to wasn't over. But she felt the tension in the car shift. It was then that she also noticed where they were. And it wasn't her house.
"You passed my house."
But Andrew ignored her, "Your hair looks great. You should leave it this way."
"Why did you pass my house?" She pressed.
"And you did it for me, didn't you?"
Jazmine felt something in her stomach turn. The car was still going but her body reacted on impulse. Andrew was quick, though, and locked the doors. A gasp escaped without her permission. But her reaction only seemed to entertain the jock beside her. The sinking feeling she had didn't let up. And neither did Andrew.
"Take me home, Andrew."
"Don't pretend like you don't want this."
Jazmine's eyes widened, "W-want what?"
The car pulled into an empty parking lot. Andrew turned off the car and turned to face her. She could see it in his eyes now. There was a certain hunger she had been ignoring for so long. Suddenly, she recalled the women she believed didn't hate Andrew. She saw them now and she saw that they had hated themselves. And she also saw the fear in them whenever he walked by.
"Huey…was right." She nearly whispered.
Andrew leaned into her some, "Isn't he always?"
Jazmine's body froze as he moved some hair from her neck. Everything seemed to slow down. Andrew touched and kissed her neck. She felt him move his hands all over her body before trying to lift her dress up. The motion jolted Jazmine back to reality. She tried to push him away but he only pushed her back down.
"NO!"
Andrew grabbed her by her neck with one hand and used the other to grip down on her thigh. Tears blocked her vision of him, "S-STOP. PLEASE…s-s-stop…!"
"You straightened your hair for me. You wanted to come to my party. Don't you want this too? Don't you want me, Jazmine?"
"…n-no…!"
Andrew bit down on her neck, "Who do you want then?"
Jazmine winced from his bite. Her body shivered as her legs tightened. She didn't want this. She was an idiot for getting into his car. A moron for even attempting to go to his party. And a complete imbecile for not listening to Huey. He always came to her rescue when they were kids. But not this time.
"Huey…"
Andrew stopped for a moment, "I knew it."
She wasn't listening to him. Jazmine didn't hear his question nor knew that she had spoken out loud. That's why when Andrew slapped her; she was completely taken off guard.
"You're pathetic, you know that right? Still care about the boy that treats you like crap, eh? Well guess what? Huey Freeman isn't here. Cry all you want. Scream all you want. No one can hear you sweetcheeks."
Jazmine cried out as Andrew ripped the top of her dress.
"Because I…am gonna tear that ass u-!?"
Quite unexpectedly, the window beside Andrew shattered. He grunted out lowly and ducked on reflex. Just as quickly, the car door opened and he was pulled out of the vehicle. Jazmine could hear his grunts become louder. There were solid slamming noises as well and then a thud. Her eyes nearly glazed over. She could barely make out the person who reached back inside; to open her door from the driver's side. The world around her started to blur and then her door opened. She screamed the moment hands were placed on her.
"Jazmine!"
Her dilated pupils, slowly, began to soften. She recognized that voice and turned to face it. The person she had been thinking of. The only person in the world she wanted to see right now. He was there and he wasn't himself. His normal anger and scowl were replaced with fear and concerned eyes.
"Hu…ey? Huey!?"
Huey stopped himself from being pushed as Jazmine hurled herself out of the car and into his arms. He stood there for a moment. It was rare for Huey Freeman to hug another person. But slowly his arms moved and he wrapped them around her. Jazmine flinched at first but soon dug her face deep into his chest. She cried harder and harder, until his shirt was nearly drench. For awhile, the two just stood there. Huey waited for Jazmine to calm down. When she did he looked down at her.
"Did he?" His face was emotionless once more but there was a shakiness to his voice.
"N-no…y-you stopped him before…" She couldn't finish her sentence.
Huey only nodded. That's all he needed to hear. His eyes met with her neck. He could see the bite mark already forming. The sharpness to his glare tightened the more he looked her over. Especially, her ripped dress. Jazmine felt his eyes and quickly pulled away from him to cover herself up.
"Dorothy's just over there. Get inside…I'll be right there."
His voice was stern. More so than usual. Jazmine watched him move away from her. She watched him walk over to Andrew's body on the ground. Her eyes widened then lowered. A part of her wanted him to do, what she imagined, he was going to do. But the other part of her, the rational part of her, wanted him to stop before he would begin.
"Huey, please…"
Huey reached down and grabbed Andrew by the collar of his shirt, "Get in the car, Jazmine."
"No! Huey, you can't! I don't…I don't want anything to happen to you…"
"Nothing's going to happen to me…Andrew, however-"
"You don't know that! You could get arrested and thrown in prison. Please…not for me. You still have causes to fight for."
Andrew was starting to come to, "Listen to her man…you don't wanna fuck with my dad he'll-"
"Shut…your fucking mouth." Huey hissed.
Jazmine gripped down on her dress more, "He didn't get to do it. You don't have to do this."
"He did enough."
"Don't you dare leave me again, Huey Freeman!"
Huey froze for a moment.
Jazmine lowered her head, "Don't…do this. Take me home. I want…I just want to go home."
Andrew watched Huey's eyes softened. He knew he was in the clear. A smirk came to his face as Huey's grip on him loosened. He then punched, but Huey's head moved out of the way. His signature glare returned immediately and Huey punched Andrew so hard in the face, that it knocked him clear out. Jazmine jumped back with a gasp. Huey just cracked his neck and stood up slowly.
"Fine…" He muttered, walking back to his Grandfather's car.
Jazmine felt at ease. She followed behind him, glancing back at Andrew along the way. Once inside Dorothy, Huey started up the car and drove off.
"You shouldn't of hung up on me like that. And you definitely shouldn't of turned your phone off…"
Jazmine stared blankly out the front window, "…how did you-even know where to find me?"
Huey rolled his eyes, "Don't insult me."
A soft chuckle escaped her lips. Huey glanced her way for it then looked back at the road.
His eyelids lowered, "I'm sorry."
"Huh?...what? It's not…your fault, Huey. You were right. I should have…listened to you. I'm the one that should be sorry…"
"No, Jazmine. I'm sorry about abandoning you." There was a pause before Huey continued, "When Caesar came to town I sorta…well, pushed you aside. I didn't realize it as I was doing it. By the time I realized what I had done I was just too..."
"Stubborn? Prideful?"
"Yeah, pretty much. And I took out our friendship dying on you. You never gave up on me and then you just did. But I'm at fault cause I took your friendship for granted."
Huey exhaled deeply, "So, I'm sorry. But to me…you were still my friend. Even when we stopped talking. Even when you started hanging out with white trash…so that next time you're in trouble, don't hang up. Okay?"
She didn't respond to him. He waited but she still didn't. His eyes glanced to the side to meet her frame as if to question her. Jazmine didn't look at him. Her eyes were forward and pouring out more tears. It was the quietest Huey had ever witness the girl cry. A smile crept up on her and as she finally covered her eyes.
The rest of the car ride was silent but neither seemed to mind. It was like being kids again, sitting at the hill under the oak tree. After some time, Huey pulled up to Jazmine's house. All the lights were out, which seemed to mean Jazmine was in the clear of Tom finding out. She breathed in deeply and opened the door. Then she paused. Huey glanced over and raised an eyebrow as Jazmine leaned back in and over to him.
"Thank you," was all she said before she pecked his lips.
Huey blinked a few times. Then, he watched her pull away from him. Her face was red and her eyes didn't meet his. She went to leave but Huey grabbed her arm. When Jazmine turned back his way he moved over and kissed her back. The action threw the mulatto completely off. Her eyes widened only to lower. And slowly, they closed.
Huey's lips lingered on hers before pulling away, "You're welcome."