Thank you, thank you, thank you, for all the reviews last chapter even though it was duuulllllll lol but continuing on, I don't know if anybody remembers but in the first chapter I said it wasn't gonna be more then 10 chapters, well,I lied =p but in the beginning I really didn't expect it to be this long, oh well, the more the better :D But after this one I got about 2 left and then it'll be a wrap. Wow, to be honest I've never finished a chapter story before except for one but enough about me let's get on to some apologies..

Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, bee..

Jazmine groaned and pressed the snooze button to turn off the annoying chime of her clock. She rolled over onto her side and pulled her fluffy covers over her head. She was dreading getting up. Today she had to face the aftermath of her actions and it was bound to not be pretty.

After turning off her clock a grand total of 3 times she finally forced her sluggish body up from under the sheets and padded slowly toward the bathroom. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she made her way to the mirror. She turned the cold knob of the faucet and heard it squeak as water gushed from it. She looked at herself as she waited for it to get warm. Well Dubois here goes nothing, she thought.

(5th period)

Making her way down the crowded halls of Woodcrest high was way easier then the mulatto thought while she maneuvered her way to English. She didn't even expect the congrats she got from a few people on the poem she did. Of course she knew Paige was mean but she really didn't think she pissed off as many people as she did. She still hadn't come in contact or muttered a word to the very 2 people she needed to talk to. And Paige was nowhere to be found in any of this mess. Not that Jazmine was looking for her in the first place, she'd come later. Right now she was trying to avoid the very person she couldn't. Mrs. Jenkins. Jazmine was praying to God there was a sub today. But of course there wasn't.

Jazmine tiptoed into the class as silently as possible. Mrs. Jenkins had her back turned to the few students that were in there, writing their assignment on the board. Jazmine hoped didn't notice her presence as she tried to make her way to her desk behind a very hefty girl named Gina, who could hide her all period if she angled herself the right way. She was almost there until…

"Jazmine," Mrs. Jenkins called from behind her. She seemed to be down writing and now sitting at her desk looking at a small piece of paper of some sort. Her eyes glued on it.

Drat! Jazmine stopped dead in her tracks and about faced.

Mrs. Jenkins still didn't look up, she just held out her wrinkled finger gesturing for her to come over there.

Looking like a caught child trying to get a cookie, Jazmine sulked all the way up to her desk.

"Here, this belongs to," She said quietly handing her the small piece of paper.

Jazmine took it from her slowly, almost as if she was expecting Mrs. Jenkins to bark at her if she took it to fast. Her green orbs scanned over it and widened when she read it a second time.

"500 dollars! But, bu.." she sputtered

"You won 1st place in the spoken word contest. And this just so happened to be the prize. But since you obviously didn't stick around long enough to know about it I accepted it for you," Mrs. Jenkins reclined in her chair a bit with a stoic look on her face

"Mrs. Jenkins I can't accept this," Jazmine shook her head slowly. She still couldn't comprehend what was going. After all that went down she had won the prize money?!

"Please child enough with the dramatics. It's yours. You won it fair and square. The crowd liked you better," she claimed crossing her arms.

"Oh," was all Jazmine could muster up.

"Of course since you won you get entered in the next round," she continued.

"Really?" Jazmine squeaked, more out of distaste then happiness.

"But for your sake and my own," she paused and leaned closer. Her eyebrows knitted together. "I decided to pull you from this one." She explained. Her voice was as calm as ever as she spoke.

"Oh," Jazmine breathed a sigh of relief.

"You can go back to your seat now and hide behind Gina like you were going to if you want," Mrs. Jenkins smirked shooing her away.

Jazmine stood there dumbfounded. Her mouth open agape, she didn't think the old woman would catch on so soon. The lady was good. She was real good.

She finally closed her mouth and took a deep breath. It was now or never.

"Mrs. Jenkins?" she spoke up.

"Yes child," she raised her eyebrow up in mock interest.

"About my poem…" she started weakly.

"You're sorry, it was out of line, and it'll never happen again correct?" she finished for her.

"Uh yes,"

"Good that's what I like to hear," Mrs. Jenkins finally rose from her seat and proceeded to the board again, while Jazmine scurried to her seat as the tardy bell rang.

She slumped down in her seat and continued to hide behind Gina, even though there was no use for it now. That went waaayyyy better then I thought it would. But the worst isn't over. 1 down 3 to go. She thought to herself.

(6th period)

Jazmine had figured apologizing to Cindy would be easier then all of them seeing as how she reacted to her outburst toward her was much more heartbreaking then pissed off.

It was the very end of class when she decided to make her move. Pretty much everyone was already up and out of there and hanging out in the foyer until the bell rang. Leaving her, and Cindy.

Jazmine wasn't trying to scare her, she really wasn't. Cindy had her back turned so she guessed that was part of the reason, but still she should've heard her coming. Then again she didn't have on heels anymore either so she didn't hear a click clack. All she did was tap her shoulder, and the girl jumped about 3ft out of her chair.

"Jeez!! Tryin to make me piss my pants huh?!" Cindy shrieked holding her ass.

"Oh, Cindy I am so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you like that," Jazmine held her hands up in defense.

Cindy just snorted at her "So, you came to tell me how stupid I am for acting black?" she asked, her pierce blue eyes slanted in boredom.

"No," she sighed, "I came to apologize," Jazmine folded her hands and twisted her foot back and forth awkwardly.

"Hmm, well I'm listening,"

"Cindy, I know you probably don't want to talk to me or see my face, but these past few months I pretty much lost my mind," she started.

"Yea you was a real biotch," Cindy muttered.

"I know, it's no excuse, but I'm really sorry for everything I said to you. I didn't mean any of it, and if I could take it all back I would," Jazmine didn't even keep her eyes on Cindy long enough. She was to ashamed to look at her.

"What you said really hurt ya know," her voice hummed with a noticeable sadness that Jazmine had surely heard.

"But I had a whole month to get over it and I forgave you once I heard Huey had broken up with you," Cindy shrugged.

"What?" Jazmine jerked her head up in disbelief. "So you don't hate me?!"

"Nah, I just figured you were PMS-ing or something, but I was still pissed about what you said. Then I heard about you and Huey breaking up and I knew whatever was going on wasn't about me and my Diddy loving ass, but somethin else," she smirked. "So I got over it and went on with life. I did consider calling but I wanted you to make the first move,"

"Oh," was once again all Jazmine could say. It was beginning to become her new favorite word of the day.

Cindy came over and threw an arm up over her shoulder and walked out the class with her "Look Jazmine you've been my best friend since we were 10. You really think I'm gonna let one stupid ass fight get in the way of that?" She questioned.

"No," Jazmine replied meekly. Cindy always had a way of putting her on spotlight, even when nobody was in the room.

"Well, now that that's all out of the way we gotta a lot of catching up to do. Like what that poem was about on Saturday," Even though she wasn't looking at her Jazmine could tell she was grinning like a Cheshire cat.

And one word summed it up perfectly

"Paige,"

"Hmm, I thought so. Especially when I saw her run out the auditorium crying. I almost laughed cause she ran like a chicken, but I caught myself," Cindy wiped a tear from her eyelash. "Man Jazzy I can't believe you said all that about her. And onstage too!"

Jazmine just chuckled nervously to herself "I couldn't believe it myself either,"

Cindy stopped walking and turned to her with a deep expression of sincerity plastered on her peach colored face. "What did she do to you?" for once in her life she looked serious, and Cindy was never serious, even when she was trying to be, she just busted out laughing a few seconds later. So this definitely took the cake.

"Well it all started the day you came and picked me up…" and Jazmine proceeded to tell her the ordeal she went through.

"I can't believe that stank ho!" Cindy hollered when she was done. "Just brainwashing you like that! I should go kick her funky ass!"

"Cindy!" Jazmine got in front of her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "That is not necessary ok," she explained calmly. "I'm just gonna apologize to her and never talk to her again,"

"WHAT!? You're going to say sorry to her! After all that she did!" Somewhere along the way Cindy lost her gangsta accent and went crazy white girl on her instead. "That bitch should be apologizing to you! Not the other way around!"

"I know, but this is more for myself instead of her. Two wrongs don't make a right and I shouldn't have put her on blast like that," Jazmine shook her head.

"But what about what she did to you!! You're the victim here!!" Cindy stressed.

"You know what, it doesn't even matter anymore. Sure I'm mad at her. Hell I'm pissed quite frankly, but at the end of the day I know that it was just as much my fault as it was hers. I went along with her like a dummy, plus that poem didn't make matters any better. In otherwords I'm just saying sorry for the wrong on my part," Jazmine finished.

Cindy stood there staring at her with a WTF? Look on her face. "Wow Jazzy you're a way better person then me. I woulda just kicked her ass and called it a day," She laughed, her gangsta accent miraculously returned.

"Cindy you're a mess," Jazmine laughed with her. Cindy stopped short and squeezed Jazmine into a bear hug.

"Awww I missed snickering with you Jazzy. Promise me that you'll never ever again get rid of me for some punk bitch like Paige," she whimpered.

"Ok, ok I promise, just please let me breathe," Jazmine gasped.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she let her go and started fixing her clothes.

"C'mon let's get to class before we're….

BRRIIIINNNGG!!

"Late,"

"Jazzy I gotta go. This was supposed to be my last tardy before I gotta stay after for detention, so I'll see ya later. Call me!" Cindy called from down the hallway. Though she didn't have to sprint too far, her class was only 3 doors down.

Jazmine just giggled and waved her goodbye. She had another plan in mind instead of going to class.

Shoot! What was his combination again?! Uh 11-24-23? No urrrgghhh why do I even bother?! Jazmine was pressed up against the cold metal of her ex-boyfriend's locker trying to figure out his lock combination. On the ground beside her was a small box of his belongings along with a 4-page letter she wrote during lunch saying how sorry she was about the way she acted, and...well other stuff. She figured he liked reading so why not. Besides, for her own sake, she didn't have the guts to face him at the moment. She was still guessing he was mad at her, which was why she was trying to sneak his stuff back into his locker, but was having no such luck unfortunately.

She struggled with it for a good 5 minutes or so before it opened for her. She wiped the perspiration from her brow and sighed in relief. So far so good. Just as she was about to bend down and get the box something in his locker caught her eye.

It wasn't anything big, but when she got a closer look it almost made her heart jump out of her chest. There plastered on the side of the door of the locker was a picture of her and Huey. Jazmine tore it gently off of the door and felt her eyes water. The picture itself wasn't that bad either seeing as how it was a spur of the moment thing. She was leaning on him sporting a messy bun with a pink 2 piece that showed off her curves very nicely while Huey wore some burgundy colored swimming trunks with some sunglasses on. It was at Cindy's 16th birthday party. Pool party to be exact and Caeser just thought it would be so funny to sneak up on her and Huey while they weren't looking and snap a photo of them with their shields down. That earned a laugh from Jazmine and a shove in the pool by Huey.

It wasn't the picture that made her tear up, it was the fact he still had it. She was pretty sure he ran across it when he was looking for her things to give back. So the only reason she could come up with to why he would still keep it was that somewhere deep down in that ice box he called his heart he still had feelings for her.

"He does still care," she whispered to herself, to engrossed in the picture to realize a dark figure beside her.

"Jazmine? What the hell are you doing?" A familiar irritated voice ran through her ears as she spun around and was face to face with none other then Huey.

Here we are face to face
With the memories that can't be erased

How did I forget that he had an early out! I'm such a dunce! Why me! She whined to herself.

"Oh I-I I was just giving you you're stuff back," Jazmine stuttered, she took one last look at the picture and shoved it in her pocket, wiping a tear from her eyelash. "That's all,"

Huey looked at her skeptically. "Really? Cause it sure doesn't look like it,"

What was she going to say to that? Oh I saw the picture you left behind what's all that about? She couldn't say that to Huey. It'd be too awkward.

"Well, I was," she finally mustered up. "So how long were you standing there?" she figured since he was talking to her she could at least make small talk, since he was terrible at it.

"Long enough, so what did you put so hastily in your pocket there?" he questioned, crossing his arms and leaning on the locker next to his.

"Uh nothing," she lied, slightly turning her head away.

"Jazmine if it's that picture you can keep it, I was gonna give it back to you anyways," he shrugged. His expression indifferent.

"Oh," she felt her heart crush a bit. Maybe things weren't the same between them.

Although we need each other
Things have changed, it's not the same

"Huey look I .."

"So why'd you do it?" he asked cutting her off.

"Do what? Break into your locker?" The mulatto looked at him flabbergasted.

"No, the poem you did about Paige. It was pretty harsh, not like you at all." Jazmine could've sworn he was being sarcastic. "Why'd you do it?"

"You were there?" she asked in shock. Maybe he wasn't mad at her this whole time after all.

"Yeah Caeser asked me to come and what not," he shrugged.

Or maybe he was.

Jazmine sighed and ran a hand through her nappy curls. She was hoping it didn't come to this, but she knew all along in the back of her mind, if she ever wanted to get back with him he needed to know what happened.

"Well I guess I should start by saying you were right all along," Huey quirked an eyebrow up but held his peace. "I should've just been happy with myself, but I wasn't and when I met up with Paige and all shenanigans, it was so new to me, almost like a drug. You know it's bad, but your still go along with it anyways," she explained. "Sheltered people like myself with low self-esteem get addicted to it quick ya know?" she

snorted to herself.

I made the choice, I was wrong you were right
Deep down inside, I apologize

"Is that so?" Huey inquired, shifting against the locker a bit.

"Yup," she nodded.

"So what you're telling me is Paige and her lifestyle was this drug, and you like a naïve little sheltered person that you are still took it even though you knew it was bad, correct?" He clarified.

"Well yea when you put it like that," Jazmine almost forgot how blunt he could be. Almost.

"In the beginning it was going good. Even you liked the changes," she paused when she saw him open his mouth and reject, but quickly closed it "Anyways," she continued "all was going good till it made me turn on one of my good friends,"

"Cindy," he filled in.

"Yea," she confirmed. "But it was just one person I didn't care. I was still as high as a kite, having fun. I was feeling myself. But I guess you weren't after awhile," she finished faintly.

"What can I say, girls who don't respect themselves turn me off," the elder Freeman said casually.

Jazmine didn't even want to finish explaing herself anymore. She didn't care what that old saying said, "Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words can never hurt you"

Psshhh, what a bunch of bullshit.

Jazmine felt that same lump in her throat forming when she was trying to keep herself from crying. It hurt. That's right Jazmine; you just start crying, it'll make it all better. She heard her inner voice say. Yea right. You know just as well as him crying doesn't do a gosh darn thing, and it sure isn't gonna make him want you anymore then he does, big baby.

So there she was, eyes squeezed tight to keep the tears from spilling out, biting her lip to keep it from quivering so much. Looking very dejected. She was so spaced out in her thoughts she didn't even realize he was calling her until he shook her a bit.

"Umm are you gonna finish cause I kinda have somewhere to be," He was dangerously close to her. So close she could smell him. He smelled good.

"Uhh yea sorry. I had a moment there," she left her pleasant daze she got from smelling him and returned back to her ordeal.

"So I was sitting there in my room all depressed the day before the contest thing and she decides to drag me out to this town I have no knowledge about or anything like that. She claims she was trying to cheer me up," Jazmine snorted. "Well she did a hell of a job, not only did she bring me there for own personal reasons but she tried to get me drunk, and have one of her perverted friends try and rape me," she said it more to herself then to Huey. She shook off her angry feelings that were escalating and kept going.

"So after getting a ride home and accidentally meeting her father, I finally decided that I was mad and sick of her shit, so I thought of something on the way to the school and said the poem," she shrugged.

And that was that. Huey, thinking about what she had just said, and Jazmine thinking about his reaction.

"So, it took all of that just for you to see she was messing you over?" he asked, more out of incredulity then sarcasm.

Jazmine just nodded.

"So why didn't you say something sooner, instead of letting it get like this?" His voice didn't sound mad but its tone didn't sit well with Jazmine.

"Because!" her voice rising abruptly. "Because I actually felt good about myself, felt pretty, beautiful, hot, hell even sexy! People took me seriously! They didn't try to take my kindness for weakness like so many had done in the past. I actually felt respected Huey!" She stressed. "But I guess that respect was tainted," she finished bitterly.

Huey couldn't say anything. Which was very not like him. What do you say to a person who reveals all that to you? He guessed try and comfort them or something. But he wasn't good at that. Never had been.

Jazmine's face was flushed and she felt like her was about to pound right out of her chest. She had no idea why she blew up like that. She was pretty sure she wasn't bipolar and she wasn't PMS-ing and she wasn't mad at him either. But something about the whole subject just pissed her off.

"Look Huey," she said softly. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked him square in the eyes. "I know I shouldn't have been so worried about how I look, and I know I shouldn't have cared what people thought about me. And I know I shouldn't have let people walk all over me like a welcome mat. But I did. And if I knew all of this was going to happen I would have never went through with it in the first place. I'm truly sorry for everything that I put you and everybody else close to me through. And if you could careless about what I do from now on then I understand," she sniffed a bit "Here's your stuff back," she slid the box to him with her foot.

"I gotta get to class," she muttered brushing past his shoulder. She didn't even turn back to look at him.

Never meant to cause you no pain
I just wanna go back to being the same
Well I, only wanna make things right
Before you walk out of my life

Jazmine wasn't going to class, but instead she made a detour at the nurse's office. She had a migraine. Lucky for her the lady didn't ask her for a pass she just looked at her and just let her lay down.

She rested her head against the cold side of the pillow lying there and closed her drowsy eyelids. She felt somewhat better but she wasn't out of the woods yet. She still didn't know where she stood with Huey, but she was sure she'd find out sooner or later. He wasn't one to beat around the bush about things, one of his best, yet worst qualities. And along with all of that she still had to talk to Paige. Which she really didn't want to do. But this apology would have to be different, a lot more private. Mostly because she hadn't showed up at school, and probably wouldn't for the rest of the week. She decided she was just gonna have to make a house call.

Aww I feel so bad. I didn't even notice until now that I left poor Caeser out of the story. So I decided I needed to at least mention him since I just left him out like that. Anyways I used the old school joint "Before you walk out of my life" by Monica for the Huey/Jaz part but I cut out like half of the song unfourtunately, hope ya'll don't mind to much. Next chapter I promise to use the whole song I chose. R&R peeps thank ya!