(A/N) Sorry this update took so long. Sometimes it's hard to write this story because it becomes too real. I will complete this though. And as always the comments are not my opinions. They are perspectives of those in the African-American community.
Chapter Four: Step Your Game Up
Keisha Thompson commented: I don't know what the big issue is with Huey Freeman's girlfriend. She's black. You could tell she was black. Yeah, she's light skinned, but at least he's dating a sista! Why are we trying to splitting hairs? Don't fall into that colorism weakness. Light skinned, dark skinned, we came from the same continent. Girlfriend looks mixed and by our rules she's black, period. The rest of that doesn't matter. She's ours. This isn't 1816 were you'd call her a mulatto, quadroon, or octoroon. Besides, with all the RAPE that's been done to our mothers and grandmothers, most of us have European DNA. It's disgusting, but it's real. The last thing we want to do is bring up legitimacy through pure African DNA. We're only 13% of the population now, imagine what would happen if we got rid of the one drop rule? We'd die. Our culture would die. This isn't the time to alienate anybody.
Scorpio Davis commented: One drop rule? We need to stop letting the white man dictate who's ours and who's not. Do you don't see Asians doing that type of shit? They created a new category and are better off for it. They don't accept when their culture dilutes and neither should we. Why do you think they're better off? They keep outsiders away and deal with their problems themselves. We will never thrive until we stop playing the white man's game. That starts with dictating who's black and who's not. You know how many people would be considered black according to the one drop rule? A lot more than 13% of the population. She's not black. She's other.
Chris Baker commented: How do we even know she's mixed? She could just be light skin. I love being black. We aren't just the same carbon copy. We can be light skin, brown skin, or dark skin. And we usually act accordingly. That's why it's so funny to see a dark skinned brotha acting light skinned. It does make me question admin though. Everybody know the darker the berry, the sweeter the juice. The darker the flesh then the deeper the roots. So OP has a point. Light skinned sistas usually stuck up and high maintenance. Maybe she's just as conscious as Huey; she did have an afro. I don't know. She looked hella Eurocentric. Looking at admin's girlfriend made me think he was one of those sell out niggas just using us for funds and fame.
Simone Manning commented: Brown skin is a made up term. If you call yourself brown skin then you're probably dark skinned with no hair and less self-esteem. It makes me laugh when these dark bitches say #TeamBrownSkinned. Bitch where? No #TeamDenial. Lying to yourself is never cute.
Keisha Thompson commented: Wow really? Black comes in many shades. From as pale as the moon to as dark as the night. We have hair from straight to kinky, eyes from blue to black, we're different. It just proves we are the first people and birthed the world. It even happens in the same family. As you can tell, I'm dark skinned #MelaninPoppin. However my older brother has albinism. We pretty much have the same face, but he has a light blonde fade and light gray eyes. Going back to my original post, he's lighter than ol girl, but he's in every way a black man. He came from our black parents and raised in our black home. If you knew him you'd never question it. Why shouldn't girlfriend get that same right?
Scorpio Davis commented: Stop using albinos as an excuse to accept biracial people. By your logic we should accept everyone as black. We shouldn't. You're black if BOTH your parents are black.
Alexis James commented: If anybody should be excommunicated from the black community it's these so called Black Hispanics. Fuck Mexico, fuck the Dominican Republic, fuck Brazil, and Cuba. You're either Black or Hispanic; you gotta choose one. They never want to be called black unless it's convenient for them. I'm not for the bullshit. They don't look like us, don't sound like us, don't act like us, and they ain't us! They try so hard to act Latino, but Latinos don't want them either. You ever notice how fucking racist Hispanic people are? They have all these slurs for us. They talk about us even though they ain't shit. And where are they when it's time to protest? I'm sick of it. We got problems to focus on. Fuck anyone who ain't with us.
Tim Reyes commented: Alexis James is an ignorant bitch. I don't have to choose between my heritage and I won't. We ARE the same. We came from the same boat, but our stop wasn't in America. Maybe if your bum ass would leave the United States you'd realize everything isn't black and white. I'm Latino! I'm Black! To all my brothers and morenas born in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the islands, Brazil, Spain, South America, wherever; my people who speak Spanish or Portuguese, learned our history, food, people, and culture, fuck anybody Black or Latino who tries to erase who you are. So y'all mad that we adapted? Y'all mad that we multilingual? Y'all mad that we got the best looking women? #RuthOcumarez #ZoeSaldana #TatyanaAli #LupitaNyongo #OrgulloLatino Stay mad.
Cindy was on Facebook killing time. Ever since her father made her transfer from Wuncler Academy she'd been bored, stir crazy, and lonely. She missed her friends, especially her bestie, Jazmine Dubois. They used to be inseparable even when they did their own things. It'd always worked out. Jazmine would cheer-lead during Cindy's basketball games. Cindy would sell raffle tickets during Jazmine's tennis matches. They would do their homework together and talk about boys and reality shows. She was checking on her favorites when a picture from Thugnificent's reality show, Rags to One Bitch appeared on her wall.
"Oh hell nah!"
It was titled 'Young Luv?' Cindy stared at the photo in confusion. The picture was clear, but she refused to believe what she was seeing was real. The focus was Huey Freeman holding Thugnificent's daughter's hand to lead her somewhere. There were other people in the photo; they just looked just as shocked and scandalized as she was. It was definitely him. She would always know Huey Freeman. He was the first black person she'd met. She'd been excited, someone to share her love of hip-hop and thug culture, but he wasn't like the blacks she'd seen on TV. And he also didn't want anything to do with her. She'd always forced her interactions with Huey. He didn't care about the black shows he'd seen. He didn't care about the jazz, rap, or indie songs she heard. Eventually she stopped looking for validation from random black people and started to be true to herself. She still liked a lot of "black" things, but no longer claimed to be down or original. Huey didn't look happy in the picture, but she'd never seen him happy. Cindy wanted to know why he was with a glistening Tanzania. Where did they go? What about Jazmine?
While Huey was the first black person she knew (hence the first black male), Jazmine was the first black girl she'd ever met. Even though Jazmine was black she was different from the black women she'd seen on television. She was neither violent nor a sexpot. Jazmine never cursed, rolled her neck, or used slang. She wasn't a beacon of good advice either; she was a little neurotic and ditsy. She didn't even know Jazmine was black at first.
This is why she loved Huey and Jazmine. They taught her so much about the real world. She realized stereotypes weren't always real and to get to know people before she assumed they'd be a certain way. She also learned a lot about herself. They were her true friends. They didn't care about her money or status. They liked, or in Huey's case, disliked her for herself. She wanted them to stay together. She hoped it wasn't what she thought it was.
Jazmine is doing an assignment for English when she got Cindy's call. "Hello?"
"Bitch, get on Facebook!"
"Cindy, I have-"
"FACEBOOK!"
Jazmine sighed and opened her laptop. She opened Facebook and followed clicked the link of a photo Cindy tagged her in. Jazmine was confused at first, but then she remembered that day. "I'm on the other side. That's weird, why didn't they show me?"
"Oooh, she best be lucky I ain't go to that school. I'd show that thot how I got the name C-Murder!"
Jazmine frowned. "No, Zany's not like that. She doesn't even like Huey. ...well, we've all been getting along better since that day though."
"Beat her ass Jazmine. Beat her ass!"
"I don't think there's any reason to fight. Before Zany, I thought reality TV was real."
"Damn, you right. So you saying other shows scripted too? Damn. I'm still watchin' my Love and Hip Hop though. And my Housewives. And my-"
"Cindy, I've got to go."
"Alright, but let me know if I got to cut a bitch. You knows I'll do it."
Jazmine giggled. "I know." Jazmine thought about that terrible cheerleading practice. The Rags to One Bitch crew hijacked their cheerleading practice. They gave them more revealing clothes and changed the routine to something more provocative. To make matters worse, they allowed a horde of guys to watch the practice. Jazmine got scared and started crying. Tanzania and other girls froze, but Lizzie and her cronies soaked up the attention. Jazmine tried not to think about the things they yelled and wanted them to do. She was glad she had Huey. He lectured them on things she didn't quite understand. He said something about them being more than their bodies, being controlled by TV, and something about it being barely legal. Huey told Jazmine to follow him out; then he grabbed Tanzania when she was still caught like a deer in headlights. Jazmine asked him why he didn't help the other girls escape the gym. He just looked at her and said that he only had two hands. Plus The Black Code dictates that their women came first. It was unfortunate. Tanzania was smart, socially and intellectually. Jazmine was caring, helpful, and kind. They'd been doing good things all day; but the media was going to ignore all of that and make them just another reality show hoe.
Jazmine put her twists in a ponytail and left her room to see Huey. Thinking about Rags to One Bitch bothered her. She wondered if Huey saw the picture they posted claiming he and Tanzania were lovers. She wondered if he could get the photo taken down. It bothered her. She had her insecurities with Tanzania and Huey being intellectually matched. It didn't help that they looked good together too. Jazmine considered asking them what the thought about each other, but from their interactions she could tell they didn't really like each other. She knew she was being silly, but the last thing Jazmine wanted was to lose Huey.
Huey was outside doing yard work. Jazmine stopped and ran back to her house. She grabbed a pitcher, lemons, and other fruit and started making fruit juice. Making drinks always made her think of the pony she could have had. She still wanted one. She would work harder in school so she could get a good job and get one herself. Jazmine finished, filled a cup with ice and went back to Huey's house.
Huey hated the heat. He felt less black admitting that. He couldn't help that he was a product of his Chicago environment. He'd adapted to the bitter cold not the heat. He refused to let his body acclimate to Woodcrest's weather. He stood against everything Woodcrest had to offer and that included the weather. He was relieved when he saw Jazmine walk his way with a pitcher of organic juice. He knew she made it herself. It was little things like that which reminded Huey why he loved Jazmine.
"Thanks."
"Need some help?"
"I'm almost done."
"Okay." Jazmine sat on the steps and waited for him to complete his chores. She poured herself a glass and watched him work. She was glad her parents never made her do this type of work. She wondered if it was because she was a girl. Tom and Sarah usually hired someone to do it. Since Sarah didn't appreciate the thing Uncle Ruckus said, it wasn't him.
As soon as Huey was done, they went inside. Jazmine put the juice in the fridge and waited for Huey as he showered. Jazmine looked at all the books he had on his shelf. Jazmine was even more shocked when she found someone with her last name. W.E.B. Du Bois, Jazmine wondered who he was and if they were related. Jazmine didn't know much about the Dubois side of her family. Maybe this was her uncle. She picked up a fairly large book called The Philadelphia Negro. Why would Huey have that? He was from Chicago. Jazmine looked another book by W.E.B. Du Bois. The Souls of Black Folk... The Talented Tenth... Huey was certainly well read. She wondered what he'd think if she read one of these books. Maybe her parents had a copy. You had to read a lot to be a lawyer.
"What are you doing?" Huey asked. He was surprised Jazmine had one of his books in her hands. He wasn't sure she'd be able to process the information. They destroy her optimistic view and make her question everything she'd been raise to be true. He wouldn't stop her from finding out though. It's better she found out through a book than through life. She already had a nasty taste of the real world when Rags to One Bitch came to her cheerleading practice.
"You have books by Dubois." She said using her last name and its French phonetics.
Huey took the book and showed her a picture of its author. "He preferred Du Bois."
"Do you like Dubois or Du Bois better?" Jazmine wouldn't mind saying Du Bois. She didn't expect it to be her last name forever anyway.
"Stop it. Your name is fine."
Jazmine beemed. Huey always loved her for her. He never asked her to change, but she did want to be better. "You have so many books. You're going to do great in college. What's your major going to be? You should study law! I always pictured you being a lawyer like daddy.
"I'm nothing like your daddy."
"Well maybe not completely like him because he's a prosecutor. You'd be like a defense attorney or immigration lawyer cause you know so many languages. I just see law because you know so much about politics, America, laws, love to debate, and want to help people. You'd be the best lawyer ever." She believed it.
Huey considered her words. He hadn't planned on staying in America. There were things he had to do. His name was still on the No Fly List, but he had other ways of seeing the world. He wondered what Jazmine wanted to do. He always imagined she'd be in school while he went on his journey. Huey never asked though. "What do you want to do." Jazmine shrugged. "I thought you'd say vet, teacher, or nurse. People would ruin those professions for you."
"I thought about it, but I just couldn't stand to see an animal hurt. I guess I wouldn't mind being a teacher especially if I get to help with cheerleading, FCCLA, or FBLA. I'd never want to be a nurse Huey. I don't like blood." She put the book back on the shelf and sat on his bed. She blushed as she said, "it wouldn't matter as long as I'm with you. The only thing I clearly see myself being is your wife."
"I'm not going to college right after high school. There things I have to do. I always thought you would go though and wait for me." It sounded extremely selfish now that he said it out loud.
"I wouldn't do that. I'd go with you."
"I'm not talking about going to fun places, Jazmine."
"I don't care."
"Jazmine"
"No." She looked up at him, determination in her green eyes. "This is a fight you won't win."
Jazmine came home to see her mother in the kitchen making dinner. She felt a little guilty approaching her mother knowing she just had partial unprotected sex with Huey. Her mother knew she was sexually active, but Jazmine didn't want her to know she was irresponsible. Fortunately, Jazmine was on birth control. He also didn't cum inside her. There wouldn't any mini Freemans around anytime soon. It just wasn't a good plan for someone as neurotic as her. She'd be paranoid until her next period. Jazmine clutched the pitcher and placed it in their refrigerator. "Hey mom."
"Hey Jazzy. I was just about to call you. Dinner's almost ready."
"Okay." Jazmine set the table and looked at herself in the mirror. Her mother was distracted and hopefully she wouldn't pick up on her post-coital jitters. Jazmine sighed. She double checked to make sure she looked normal and returned. After leaving Huey's she was determined to always be able to stay by his side. Maybe that started with politics. Even with that she didn't know where to start. She thought about her group's past argument of politics at the table. Tanzania called Huey a conservative. Maybe she should look at conservative news. "Mommy, what do conservatives watch?
Sara cringed. "Ugh, Fox News."
"Oh." Jazmine nodded. Fox News, it sounded edgy. Maybe it was something Huey watched. Jazmine bounced up the steps and started to watch nothing, but Fox News.
Next Chapter: Jazmine shows Huey what she learned.
