Huey rolled his eyes, slamming his book irritably and abruptly standing from the table. "For the last time, Caesar," he snapped, "You are not putting me on a dating website!"

The mop-headed boy just stared back at Huey, amusement in his brown eyes as a tiny smile tugged at his lips. "Why? I think it might be good for you," he simply said, clearly not seeing the problem in the matter. "You might meet the one,"he said, wiggling his eyebrows at his friend, who in turn glared at him.

Huey wasn't having it, though, already pushing Caesar's ridiculous proposition out of his head as he stalked from the table, book in tow. He couldn't even see himself on a dating site, let alone, actually going on dates with strangers. The whole idea was just weird and unrealistic, completely out of character for him. He found himself scoffing, just as footsteps sounded behind him.

"But Huey, if you just think about it. All you have to do is set up the profile…actually I can help you with that. You don't even have to worry about the rest-"

Another eye roll. "Caesar, seriously. I'm not doing it."

Silence took over after that, and Huey guessed his friend finally took the hint. They walked from the library, Huey just glaring at whatever and whomever he passed, and Caesar quietly following after him. Huey was grateful for the end of the conversation, not wanting to hear another peep about this so-called dating profile. What did he look like, meeting people online and chatting about his likes and dislikes? It just wasn't happening.

It wasn't long before they made it to Huey's car, before hopping in and driving off to their shared apartment. More silence followed during the drive, Huey turning the radio on to Caesar's favorite station and focusing on the road ahead. The Freeman boy tried to let his mind drift off to other things, like the upcoming exam for this college course he was taking, or helping Granddad pay rent.

But all that went away, Caesar's next words scattering his thoughts. "…What if I told you the account is already set up?"

Huey fought the urge to slam on breaks, suddenly feeling as if he were hard of hearing. "I know you didn't just say-"

"Yeah, Huey." He was laughing. "I really just said that."

Huey could literally feel himself swallowing his anger, clawing its way back down his throat as he tried to maintain his easy temper. "Then I'd say you're a dead man."

"Hm…that's too bad for me," Caesar said thoughtfully, his lips faintly smiling.

Huey took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Dead man indeed.

Jazmine Dubois sat in the desk chair, giggling as she playfully wheeled herself around the room. She was in Huey and Caesar's apartment, courtesy of Caesar leaving the key under the porch mat, and now she was just waiting for the two to return from the library. She had arrived an hour ago, and since then, she'd done nothing but logged into Huey's new dating account, checking for any new winks from interested singles waiting to be noticed. The mulatto was surprised to see all the new notifications, judging from the one picture that she Caesar had posted of Huey.

In the picture, he was giving the camera his signature scowl, wearing a casual black shirt and khaki pants. Jazmine remembered taking that picture of him last year on the day of his birthday, and all he wanted to do was stay home and read the new novel she gave to him as a gift. She smiled at the memory, stopping her spinning and pushing back over to the desk, peering again at the computer. Ten more notifications popped up at the top right of the screen, and Jazmine grinned. She just couldn't wait to see Huey's surprised face. This whole thing was her idea, after all.

Jazmine turned as she heard the front door open to the apartment.

Caesar quickly took off his coat as he and Huey entered, the building excitement flowing through his bones. Jazmine was supposed to be on the computer by now, waiting for them.

Huey gave him a side glance, raising an eyebrow. "You weren't serious, right?" he said, the tenseness in his tone tightening.

Caesar grinned. "I gotta show you something," he stated, as if that alone would explain everything.

This made Huey roll his eyes, but Caesar was already walking, the grin on his face only widening as Huey followed him down the hallway. "I know you're gonna hate me after this…" he started, turning to his friend once they were outside the door. Huey only gave him an impatient look, crossing his arms and raising both his brows in anticipation.

"Go on," was all he said.

Caesar turned back to the door, reaching for the handle and twisting the knob. Cool air hit their faces as they quietly stepped in the spacious room. Jazmine sat in the desk chair, her clothes hidden from the recognizable navy Snuggie wrapped around her, which in fact was Caesar's.

She turned, giving them a lazy grin. "Sorry, it got cold in here."

Huey only narrowed his eyes. "Take it down," he demanded, his voice low and surprisingly calm. It was frightening. Caesar shifted from one foot to the other. His friend had already put two and two together, realizing the situation. "Delete the account."

Jazmine leaned back in the chair, her smiling fading. "C'mon Huey," she said, the disappointment clear in her voice.

"No. Take it down."

Caesar frowned. Of course Huey would never agree to this. Why did they ever think otherwise? The kid was as stubborn as a bull.

That's when a light bell sounded from the computer, and Jazmine moved to peer at the screen, her green eyes bright. "Looks like your notifications never take a rest, Huey," she said, looking back at them with another smile. "You're pretty popular on here."

Huey moved then, taking two steps to look at the screen over Jazmine's shoulder, his face grim, but a flicker of curiousness. Caesar walked over to, another ring sounding. The three of them scanned the glowing screen, noticing the green notification button at the top right, its numbers growing higher and higher.

Caesar gave a faint smile, noticing the way Huey's eyes lit up with curiosity. He gently nudged Jazmine with his elbow, getting her attention. She glanced at him, before following his gaze to Huey, and flashed a grin.

Maybe this could work after all-

"No."

Caesar and Jazmine quickly turned to Huey, raising their eyebrows. The Freeman boy looked back at them, scowling.

They waited.

"…My profile picture is all wrong," Huey finally said, his hard look softening as an eyebrow quirked up.

Jazmine stifled a laugh as she peered over her friend's shoulder. "It's not that hard Huey. Just pick someone who you find attractive, and then hit the cute little chat button."

Huey blinked. "What if I don't find any of these girls attractive?"

Jazmine looked puzzled, before looking back at him with understanding eyes. "Are you saying that you're-"

Huey widened his eyes in frustration as he realized how that sounded, shaking his head. "No, I'm not saying I'm homosexual Jazmine. I just don't have any interest in this sort of thing." He began to look bored and a little tired as he placed his head in the palm of his hand. "Why am I doing this again?"

The mulatto scoffed, moving Huey's hand from the mouse and scrolling the cursor down the page. "Alright, there are so many decent looking people on here. You're making this harder than it actually is," she stated, starting to get that stubborn vibe from the Freeman boy. "Oh, she's pretty," she said then, pointing at one of the pictures on the screen.

Huey glanced at the picture, before rolling his eyes. "Under all that makeup?"

Jazmine giggled, before she started scrolling again. She never knew he was so picky. "Okay, well you still need to fill out the survey so people will know your interests."

"Why?"

"What do you mean why?"

"Why do people need to know my intere-"

"Oh my gosh Huey, just answer the questions and hush," Jazmine interrupted, her turn to roll her eyes. The kid was ridiculous. Jazmine pulled up the survey. "Now, what is your favorite color?"

She heard him snort. "That's basic."

Jazmine narrowed her eyes. "Just answer the question."

"I don't know…blue?"

Jazmine typed in the answer without a moment's hesitation. "Your favorite type of music?"

He shrugged. "I like Public Enemy."

"So rap?"

"Whatever."

Jazmine sighed, typing. "Favorite food?"

Huey scratched his head, raising an eyebrow. "Why is that even important?"

The mulatto pinched the bridge of her nose, starting to wish Caesar hadn't left earlier to go to work. He left her to Huey, who was giving her the hardest time right now. She needed a break. "You know what, "she started, standing from the chair, "I'm going to go get something to drink and see what's on TV. When I come back, that survey should be filled out."

Huey looked up at her, his maroon eyes full of hidden amusement. "And if it isn't?" was all he said, his voice even and quiet, before turning back to the screen.

Jazmine blinked, before shrugging, turning to head out of the room. They were never going to get anywhere if all Huey ever did was question things and be even more stubborn than he usually was. He hadn't liked any of the interested girls she had pointed out, even after looking at their long bio pages and extended likes and dislikes.

She gave a long sigh, stepping into the decent-sized kitchen and grabbing a glass from one of the cabinets. She shuffled to the fridge, pulling out the large jug of orange juice from the back. It was quiet without Caesar there, his usual loud joking and laughter lost in the silence of the apartment. So silent, that Jazmine could hear Huey's quick typing on the keyboard. A tiny smile tugged at her lips. She was happy for Huey, glad that he decided to step out of his shell and see what the world had to offer. The mulatto didn't care if this whole 'dating' thing would only last for a week or so, but she was happy to see Huey like this. It was different. Or perhaps, refreshing. Jazmine took a sip from her cup, letting the stillness in the air surround her.

"It's asking what my favorite animal is," Huey called to her then, sounding skeptical.

Jazmine shook her head, smiling. "Don't you like black panthers?"

"I like The Black Panthers."

She laughed, holding her glass as she made her way back to the room. He turned to watch her in the doorway, that same flash of curiosity flickering across his face again. "What's the difference?" she asked, before moving to sit back in her chair beside him. "Just type something."

He scoffed, before picking at the keys again. "I really do hate these questions."

"Don't we all?" Jazmine mocked, taking another sip.

It had been a long day. A long day of putting up with Huey.

No, a long day of knowing him.

He stopped typing then, leaning back in the chair. "Can I ask you something?"

Jazmine raised her brows, one of the same gestures he had given her the past few years. It surprised her, because this was like the most he had voluntarily talked to her in one day. "Sure."

"Why are you two so caught up on me and my love life?"

Jazmine scrunched up her nose. "It's not like you have plenty of girls texting and calling you all the time, Huey. We felt like you could use some help."

Huey looked down and absentmindedly examined his palm. "Yeah, because you have plenty of guys texting and calling you all the time, Jazmine," he countered, his voice cool with sarcasm.

She stiffened, suddenly feeling vulnerable, even if he was just teasing. "Yeah, plenty," she said, trying to sound confident despite her bashfulness.

"Liar," was all he replied.

Oh, he knew as much as she knew that Jazmine had terrible luck with guys. So now this whole conversation was making her look like a hypocrite. The last guy she would even say was once her boyfriend was some kid back in freshman year in high school, but even then her luck was bad. It was almost as if guys saw her as this trap, and tried to avoid her at all costs. She could never figure out why, either.

Were they scared of her?

She peered at Huey, whose eyes stared back into hers, looking bored.

Or who she was always around?

Then she found herself blushing, those maroon pools drowning her.