Another day had arrived in the quiet neighborhood of Woodcrest and was welcomed with a chorus of lively birds and the brightly lit orange sun. Although the autumn winds blew to no end, the sun reassured residents that the day would remain a comfortable temperature. Plenty of activity could be noticed coming from a certain generously sized home on the street. The door of the house opened and a boy emerged out unto the beautiful day with scowl. Birds flew overhead singing a cheery 'good morning' to the lovely nest-haired, African American child, and were, in turn, ignored. He didn't have time to marvel over common fowl, or awe at the landscape that looked the same practically everyday. He took slow strides, skipping the unneeded steps of the porch and made his way down the sidewalk.
"Ay, Huey..." a younger boy tripped out from the same house in a hurried fashion. Huey sighed and walked slightly slower. "Yo, hol' up nigga!" Huey made an abrupt stop and turn to look at his little brother, who was seated on the steps struggling with his Tims. Once he finally got them tied, he shot up and waltz over to the impatient figure. Though he had asked his brother to wait, he made no effort to create conversation as they walked together.
Huey stuffed his hands into his pockets as a short gale blew and glanced over at his brother. "Riley," he sighed "where's your backpack?"
Riley, who was momentarily occupied with scratching in between his cornrows, glared at him as if he had just heard the dumbest question in the world. Huey returned the look with one that told the youngest he wasn't joking. "Nigga please, I'on even need ta bring anyuh dat shit home." He slyly laughed to himself, stretching out his backpack free arms up and behind his head.
The importance of education was a speech Huey did not feeling like giving again. He wished his brother could understand how critical it was for a black man to finish school; but he could tell Riley was not
in the mood to listen to reason; he rarely was. "Whatever man." he sped his pace up a little shrugging it off.
Sitting on the busstop bench, was the two Freeman brother's mulatto neighbor, Jazmine Dubois. In contrast to Huey, the young girl was taking in all the joy that the beauty of the morning had to offer her. She watched the two boys slowly approach the bench, neither of them choosing to take a seat. "Good morning guys!" she chirped and tugged down her scarf to flash them both a sweet smile.
"Mmmhm..." Huey absent mindedly replied and closed his eyes. He wasn't particularly a morning person and his mood had dropped even further after discovering that the coffee tin was empty earlier that morning.
"Tch, quit lyin'." the other muttered. There was nothing "good" about being sent to school; or prison, which he often called it. "It'll be 'good' if dat damn bus breaks down an' I can go back home." Riley dreamt of the day where he could stay home for a legitimate reason; not that he wasn't afraid to skip school on his own, there just wasn't enough risk free ways to avoid that place.
Jazmine laughed while pulling a paper towel wrapped square from her pocket. "You should try having fun at school! Then you'd look forward to going!" Riley looked at her and mocked her high pitched laugh in retort. Her smile dropped, but quickly reappeared as Huey roughly elbowed him. "You guys wanna piece of my Toaster Strudel?"she asked over the cursing complaints of the young gangsta who was obviously in pain. "Its strawberry...still warm too!" Once again, the poor girl's smile was obliterated as she surveyed the look of disgust on both of the boy's faces.
"Ewww, get that thing away from me." With that Riley moved to stand on the far side of the bench; away from the other two.
Huey glared at her for a moment. "Jazmine, what did I tell you about those things?"
Jazmine kicked her legs, holding the breakfast pastry guiltily. "Yeah...but, have you ever tried one?"
"No. Never smoked before, but I know it's bad for me."
"Pssh speak for yo' self nigga." Riley muttered quietly, feeling a familiar pain radiate in his lungs.
"Well I don't care what you say about.. High glu-...fru-..."
"High Fructose Corn Syrup."
"Yeah that. I don't care, cuse the box says it was made out of REAL fruit." she took a rebellious bite and looked at him smugly. "I thought you liked fruit Huey?"
He scratched the roots of his Afro, "Oh I love fruit. Tell me, Jazmine: In which season do the strawberries begin to ooze pure red goop? I'd love to harvest some for myself."
Jazmine furrowed her brow and took a hard look at the "goop" inside her strudel. It was beginning to look extremely questionable. This in turn resurrected, within her mind, Huey Freeman's many sermons on how High Fructose Corn Syrup was created by the white man to kill them all at a young age. Sighing, her hand along with the pastry flopped to her lap. "Um...well..." She surely didn't want to 'die by the hand of the Man.'
"I'onknow why you listen to that nigga." Riley injected, "Shoot, I be ea'in whateva I wan whenever I wan."
"Really?" Jazmine's eyes lit up as she looked at him with new hope.
"Hell yeah," He crossed his arms proudly, "I be drinkin' that Plucos High...Sugar...Syrup all day, mayn, an I'm as healthy as ever."
Huey scoffed at both of them, "First of all Riley-"
"Blah Blah Blah Blah," The cornrowed child interrupted his afro'd counterpart, "thas all you about ta say. Look, I gots real results here." He took a few steps closer to Jazmine and flex his small but well-defined forearm. " All that from sugar."
Jazmine was indeed impressed. Though she never wanted muscle like that, it was tangible evidence that the kid was in shape. Her stomach growled. She looked at her breakfast and then to Huey; who simply rolled his eyes and turned the other way. He never liked it when his scoldings were cut short...especially by ignorance. Jazmine continued to dramatically stare at her food. To eat or not to eat...that was the question.
Riley was getting tired of her indecision. "Damn girl, jus eat the stupid thang." He was now seated beside her intently looking at it himself.
Jazmine looked up and heard that her growling stomach had a companion. She smiled. Riley frowned and looked away; scooting to the far edge of the bench. "You sureyou don't want some, Riley?" she giggled holding the strudel up toward him.
A light gust of wind blew the sweet scent directly into his face. "Yeah, I'm sure." he said mimicking her voice again (this time at a safe distance away from Huey). He reached over, ripped a corner of the warm treat, and quickly stuffed it in his mouth. "Now git'...dat fing...away from me." Jazmine could hardly understand him between chews.
Huey watched the whole scenario in objection and Jazmine offered him unsure smile. "There's still some left...you wanna at least try it?" She waved the last piece in front of his face, causing him to side step away and out of her reach.
"No. But you and Riley can have matching funerals. That'll be fun, huh?" Riley leaned forward to glare at his older brother.
"Man, quit bein' a little gay ass pussy!" Jazmine did not approve of the eight year old's language and certainly did not enjoy being in the middle of the intense glare-fest that was taking place between the two. Riley snatched the remaining piece from Jazmine unexpectedly.
Huey's eyes widen slightly. "Riley. Don't." His voice was low and urgent.
The corners of the little delinquent's mouth twitched into a cynical smile as his eyes narrowed into an even fiercer glare. "What?" he spat waving the food around, "nigga you think you too good fa' normal food?"
"Riley, I swear if you come near me with that thing..."
"Um guys?" Jazmine was not sure what was going on, but she hadn't meant for her breakfast to create this much tension. She leaned forward to look down the street. "Hey, I think the bus is coming...so quit it." She thought for a moment, "Whatever it is you guys are doing."
Riley wasted no time. He planted his foot on the steel bench and propelled himself up and over Jazmine; straight for his target. Huey had anticipated the attack long before his brother formulated it and swiftly roundhouse kicked him away.
"Huey!" Jazmine cried, "y'know I bet more people die from fighting than eating food!" Tears began to form in her eyes and Huey remembered why she wasn't allowed to watch violent movies. She was just so damn sensitive.
"I could probably argue that with more research..." She looked at him appalled. Whatever happened to the simple 'I'm Sorry'? Huey stepped closer to her as the bus finally came to a stop in the street. He noticed her green, watery eyes briefly flick behind him, but was too slow to react.
Riley wrapped his arms around the afro and instantly stuffed the piece of pastry into his brother's mouth. Quickly clamping onto his jaw, he prevented Huey from spitting any of it out and wrestled him to the ground. "Thas right! Eat it, Bitch!"
Jazmine, the bus driver, and all the small passengers watched in amused fear. School could definitely wait for this. After hearing a loud and strained gulp,Riley let go of his mouth. "Get the hell offa me..." Huey roughly pushed the smaller child away and stood up.
Riley rolled on the ground laughing to no end. Jazmine laughed a little too and noticed that Huey had already loaded onto the bus; deserting them both. "Come on, Riley." she called out to the cackeling boy and leapt into the bus herself.
She took her regular seat next to the distraught revolutionary and found him staring sternly out the window. After a while, Riley staggered in; still chuckling to himself. He took a seat in the back and engiene started up. Jazmine sadly looked at her friend; he was still intently looking out the window. She cleared her throat, "Sooo Huey," he turned and glared sharply at her, "Didja like it?" His face immediatly dropped and he turned around again; deciding that the question was not worthy of an answer. Seconds passed. Jazmine poked his shoulder, and was aptly swatted away. "Well...I'm just gonna take that as a yes! she laughed. "I'll make sure to make you one tomorrow mornning
Huey groaned and cleched his eyes shut. Woodcrest need more busstops.