Chasing Pavements

Krys723

A/N: THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS! Most of you said that Jazmine's colder now than she was before, but think about her upbringing for the past five years. She sees her mother bringing different men home every night, she witnesses her female role model selling weed and selling innocence and going to jail every time she's caught. It's not easy for her…it's a huge flaw she has to overcome. That's all on that subject ONWARDS WITH THE READING!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE BOONDOCKS, AARON McGRUDER DOES AND HE'S SOOOO CUTE!


Setting: Guidance Counselor's Office-Wuncler High School, Woodcrest; Silver Springs, Maryland

Date: November 22ND, 2010

Time: 6:45 A.M.

Chapter Three

Renewing Friendships

Jazmine DuBois

"How do you say your last name again?" asked my senior guidance counselor, Mrs. Atman asked me. I cocked an eyebrow at her, I had the easiest surname of anybody imaginable…what could be so hard about DuBois. It was the first day at Wuncler High School, one of the many things that was owned by no other than Ed Wuncler Sr. a man who was powerful and rich. His statue was right in front of the school…I wanted to throw a rock at it. The first place I went was to the school office to get my schedule in order for the rest of the year. I was given all AP classes, a rarity for a student who was enrolling right around the time of Thanksgiving. I was only in school this week for two days, than I would have the rest of the week off, just like the rest of the school.

"What's so hard about saying the name DuBois? Let me say it with you, Jazmine DuBois," I slowly pronounced to the woman in front of me. She glared at me before pressing the PRINT button on her computer and my brand-new schedule was coming out of the printer. She handed it to me along with forms for my Dad to sign after work and a note explaining my situation to the teachers. When I left out the guidance counselor's office, I headed into the sleepy halls of Wuncler High School. I figured it was probably best of me to find my locker, my combination was easy enough for me to remember. I walked down to the senior hall and towards locker 307. Just my luck…it was on the bottom. I hated bottom lockers, it gave boys the perfect opportunity to look at a girl's ass. I was just about to crouch down when I heard somebody call out my name.

"Jazzy?!" I only knew one person who called me Jazzy, I smirked and turned around. Cindy MacPhearson "C-Murph" was the only girl friend I had before I left for Virginia. She often stuck up to me when bullies started teasing me and she was genuinely sad when she found out that I was dragged away from here. She was a white girl on the outside, but a black girl on the inside. She had long, blonde hair that she kept in a ponytail and eyes that were icy blue. Her skin complexion was peach and she had the body of a basketball player, it was well-toned and curvy. She was wearing a Lakers jersey with a long-sleeved white shirt underneath and a pair of dark jeans. She had on a pair of black Converse high tops and she both her backpack and her duffel bag slung over her shoulders.

"Bitch, when did you get back?!" she asked as she came closer to me. She looked me over. "And when yo ass hit puberty? Last I saw you, you were crying about how much of a board you were." I turned red as she gave me a hug.

"I just got back Friday evening," I told her. I opened my locker and saw old notebooks and papers from 1995. Seriously?

"Bitch, you should've came looking for me!" she said. "I had a game up here at the school, we dominated those other girls and then she had the nerve to talk about me after the girl, so I told her, 'Bitch, I own your black ass!' I also had to throw punches at her black ass." I rolled my eyes as I overlooked my schedule, realizing that there was no way in hell I was using this locker. I think I saw a dead rat inside.

I only had five classes, four of them were AP. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Friday; I had three classes and on Tuesdays and Thursdays; I only had two classes. Since today was Monday, I had AP 012English, AP 012Trig, and AP 012Government. Tomorrow I would have AP 012Chemsitry and African-American Studies. It seemed decent enough…but I would've rather preferred Home EC than African-American Studies.

"So did you see your man yet?" she asked me.

I looked at her. "My man? What man?"

"Huey Freeman, bitch! You know that you two loved each other since you were ten and you sat in his spot on the Hill," Cindy explained. I rolled my eyes, whatever feelings I had for Huey Freeman when I was younger was gone…just like my childhood.

"I have no interest in that African-American revolutionist," I told her. "He did nothing but constantly tell me what I was doing wrong. The one time…Mother put a relaxer in my hair, he has fit and goes into this explanation that relaxers causes brain damage." Cindy started laughing, but it was more of a snicker.

"So you telling me you don't like him no more?" she asked. I nodded in agreement. "And you forreal?" Again I nodded. "OK, bitch I'll buy it…for now. So where yo Moms at? She came back wit'cha?" I stopped walking at when my Mom was mentioned. Cindy noticed and backtracked. "Jazzy?"

"I'm living with my Dad now," I said walking faster. Cindy was an athlete, she caught up with me as though she was going after a defender who got her ball.

"Jazzy, what happened?" she asked me.

"I don't want to talk about it," I said. But before she could say anything else, the bell rung and we had to go our separate ways since her first class was Chemistry and mines was English.

—Break—

Setting: AP 012English-Wuncler High School, Woodcrest; Silver Springs, Maryland

Time: 7:05 A.M.

The first thing I noticed when I entered my AP 012English class was Huey Freeman's lion-mane Afro. He looked like Kovu from The Lion King II: Simba's Pride. He had headphones in his ears, there was no doubt that he was listening to Public Enemy. He was wearing blue jeans with a black shirt that was underneath a green Army jacket and black boots. I felt sorry for the people who had to sit behind him. I sat in the empty desk beside him, taking out my notebook and started writing the notes on the white SMARTboard. The handwriting was sloppy, but I understood it. I wanted to become an author when I finished school so it was my duty to understand everybody's handwriting. Even if it was chicken scratch. A moment later, the teacher walked in.

He was African-American and had a bald head. His eyes were underneath a pair of black rectangular glasses and he reminded me of Samuel L. Jackson. It would be funny if his name was actually Mr. Jackson. He wore a grey tailored suit with a white dress shirt and black dress shoes. His wedding band shined broadly on his left ring finger.

"Good morning class," he said closing the door behind him. He noticed me and walked over towards me. "And who are you, miss?"

"Jazmine DuBois, here's my schedule. Your suppose to sign it," I said handing him my schedule.

"Right, nice to meet you Ms. DuBois. I'm Mr. Cooke and I'll be your teacher for the rest of the year," he said. He signed the box with a red pen and then tapped Huey in the shoulder. Huey looked up. "Music off or its mine, Mr. Freeman. That's the second time I had to tell you this." Huey rolled his eyes in annoyance and took off his headphones.

"Everybody, please take out your reports that you were suppose to do over the weekend and please hand them to me, starting with you, Mr. Freeman. Ms. DuBois the report is to write about your favorite African-American author. You can hand it in to me after the break, it's the same time I gave the rest of the class to do their reports."

"Yes, sir," I said writing the assignment in my homework notebook. It still contained the homework assignments I had back in my old high school in Virginia for my senior year. If I was there, then I would've returned a report on the United Kingdom for my International History class. Mr. Cooke then handed the books I would need for his class and he begun the lesson.

—Break—

Setting: Café-Wuncler High School, Woodcrest; Silver Springs, Maryland

Time: 12:30 P.M.

Huey Freeman

By lunch, I figured out that Jazmine DuBois shared the same classes as I did, but it was only because she was in AP Hell. AP Hell was what the geniuses of Wuncler High School had to endure and you had to sign up for it in your freshmen year. We shared five classes together; core AP classes and an elective of our choosing. I didn't sign up for it, the school signed me up for me stating that they didn't want my knowledge to go to waste. I tried to assure Granddad that I didn't need AP classes, but he went along with the school board because Ed Wuncler Sr. was head of the board and Granddad always agreed with Ed Wuncler. So I took the classes and just as I figured, I had no real competition. That changed when Jazmine came back, even though it was her first day, she raised her hand in every class and got the answers either right or she was on the right track. She even offered to go to the board and worked out the problems in Trig. We hadn't spoken since I dropped her off back home after our trip at Wuncler Mall. I didn't end up buying anything, but seeing that I didn't need Jazmine's whole fifty dollars to fill up my tank, I paid forty dollars for gas and gave Jazmine the remaining ten. She didn't say anything until we were back on Timid Deer Lane. She handed me back the change and told me that I might need it in case of an emergency. Even if I doubted the uphill battle of the economy, ten dollars couldn't get me anywhere gas wise. I didn't say that though, I just placed the money back in my pocket.

"Yo, Huey!" I looked up from my notes as Michael Caesar, my best friend sat across from me. He had black dreadlocks and dark brown skin. He was wearing a pair of jeans with a black shirt and the newest pair of Converse that had the joker on the side. He was always a huge fan of DC comics, though Riley preferred Marvel. "I heard that Jazmine DuBois was back. Is it true?" Caesar had a crush on Jazmine that dated back to the fifth grade. He was sad that she left at first, but he eventually begun to forget about her as other girls became to peak his interest. I rolled my eyes and pointed over towards the lunch line, where Jazmine was with Cindy MacPhearson.

"Damn," Caesar said as he surveyed Jazmine. She was wearing a pair of light denim jeans with violet-blue long-sleeved shirt and purple Adidas. Her puffy strawberry-blonde hair was tied with a purple hair band. "Tom must've gave her a new wardrobe."

"No, she brought it herself. I drove her to Wuncler Mall on Saturday," I told him. The girl girls paid for their food and walked over towards Caesar and I. Great, just what I need. Another lashing, I thought as they sat down.

"What's up Freeman?!" Cindy's loud voice greeted me. I only waved and went back to my notes. "I heard Jazzy crushed you in class. Seems as though you ain't the smartest kid in school anymore." Jazmine turned red as she punched Cindy in the arm. She then turned to Caesar.

"Hello," she said holding out her hand. "I'm Jazmine."

"Girl, you don't remember me? It's BROOKLYN baby!" Caesar shouted. Jazmine's turned red and I didn't know if she either surprised when Caesar shouted 'Brooklyn' or if she really didn't remember him. I went with the latter.

"Caesar?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. Damn.

"Yeah, baby. How you been?" Caesar asked her.

"I've been," she said. Good response from the girl genius. I scoffed under my breath and she glared at me. I glared back.

"I don't want to sit here anymore, Cindy. Can we please go somewhere else?" she asked.

"Sure girl, I'll introduce you to the team, let them know that you my main bitch and you aren't to be touched," Cindy responded. Glad that Jazmine was gone, I had to face the 'wrath' of Michael Caesar.

"What's up with you? You know I've pinned after her," he said.

"Yeah, if pinning means going after every other girl while she was gone, then I did the right thing. Trust me Caesar, she's not worth it," I said. "I'm heading back to class, later." Caesar just nodded his head at me as he looked at Jazmine walk away. I wanted nothing to do with the so-called "tough" girl from Virginia.


Setting: Senior Parking Lot-Wuncler High School, Woodcrest; Silver Springs, Maryland

Time: 2:25 P.M.

The Senior Parking Lot littered with not only seniors, but juniors and sophomores. Freshmen knew their place, they never entered dangerous waters until they survived their first year of high school. Well, not Riley…Riley was definitely a different story. I was waiting for him, after a long day I just wanted to go home and relax, but I had to go to work this evening. I worked as a clerk in Wuncler's Whole Foods, I only worked there out of desperation, I needed the money to pay for my college applications.

I wasn't asking Granddad for $95 and he knew he wasn't going to get the money back if I didn't get accepted. I applied for every school that was in the HBCU category and I did the interviews back in October. The only thing I needed now as wait and waiting for your future was the hardest thing to go through. When Riley came over with Cindy, I didn't mind that, but when Riley came over with Cindy and Jazmine, oh, HELL NAW! I didn't care if Cindy and Riley were dating, I'm not giving that girl another ride.

"Huey! Cindy said that she and Jazmine need a ride back to her place. I told them that you didn't mind," Riley said as the three got in my car. Once again, I was up front with Jazmine and Cindy was in the back with Riley. I wasn't going to stand for this, I am not a taxi driver. I walked over to the passenger side where Jazmine was sitting and placed my hand on the door.

"I'm not giving you a ride, buses run their normal schedule today," I told her. She shrugged her shoulders and got out.

"Fine, I don't want to ride with a pessimistic person like you anyway," she said. I didn't move.

"I am not pessimistic, I just have the real opinions of the world," I told her. "You might've been gone five years, but you don't know shit. Your not tough, your still that same, weak ass little girl you were when you left with your momma."

I didn't know what made me say that, it was probably my attempt to break her stupid, wannabe tough ass. She glared at me for a moment and then she slapped me across the right side of my face, burning one side of my face as she released her hand. She grabbed her bag and got out the car, Cindy got out and went after her.

"That was wrong, Nigga," Riley said. For once, I had to agree.


Setting: 1948 Timid Deer Lane, Woodcrest; Silver Springs, Maryland

Time: 7:30 P.M.

Jazmine DuBois

Listening to K-Pop was a way of calming my bad mood and I've been in a bad mood ever since I came home from school. Huey Freeman knew nothing about my life, knew nothing about the past five years and what he said hurt, but I didn't cry. I shouldn't have slapped him though. Cindy stayed with me throughout the rest of the afternoon, but she left not that long ago. When it was time for dinner, I sat down beside Abby and listened to her talk about how good she was at writing and coloring inside the lines, the feats of a five-year-old. Something about Abby didn't sit right with me, but I decided to eat the Spinach lasagna instead of worrying about it. After dinner, I went back to my room and finished the rest of my homework. It wasn't long before there was a knock on the door upstairs. Fantastic Baby by BIGBANG was playing on my laptop, the sound of music helped me study.

A few moments later, there was a knock on my door. Getting up, I opened it and found myself face to face with Huey Freeman.

"What do you want, Freeman? Came to tell me how spoilt I was as a child?" I asked him in an icy tone.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

"No, whatever you have to say, you can say it right where you are," I told him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say what I told you earlier, but I was being blunt. Your not tough, so stop acting like it. Change your attitude before the next person you piss off punches you in the face," he told me.

"I know how to defend myself, Freeman," I told him.

"No, you know how to fight. I know how to defend myself, I know how to focus all my energy into one thing…Martial Arts. If you want to learn Martial Arts, then cool, but don't use me as a punching bag," Freeman said.

"Didn't I tell you to stop being something you're not. Your not a mediator," I said. "So how about you do us all a favor and stop acting like it."

"Jazmine, I'm trying to help your stupid ass. You and I both know something awful happened to you, so how about you just tell me what the fuck happened."

"It's none of your business. If you wanted to know how I was doing, then you should've done something! I have a Twitter account," I said. "And my email stayed the same for the past five years."

"I was busy," he said.

"Yeah, and so was I! Thing is Freeman, my life was busier than yours!" And with that, I slammed the door in his face, tuning him and the rest of the world out with the sounds of my music.

ALRIGHT, JAZMINE'S MAD! I MIGHT PUT MORE FLIRTING WITH CAESAR IN THE NEXT CHAPTER, BUT OTHER THAN THAT…WHAT DO YOU THINK? AND NO, CAESAR AND JAZMINE WILL NOT BE DATING LOL! TELL ME YOUR COMMENTS IN THE BOX BELOW!