A/N: Hellooooooo quarantiners and essentials alike. As promised, here's an update that didn't take an unholy five months to manifest (lol). Shout out to: Schweetpea1870, Jackie O, Hersheyyyy24, Guest, sncjana, and hjr for your reviews on the previous chapter! Much love and appreciation to y'all.
*Special shout out to the LOML Schweetpea1870 for her help the many times I got stumped working on this chapter. She's the real MVP, and she just dropped the next installment of her amazing short story Where Are They Now? So go check it out and show her the loves! Also, shout out to the amazing Fanfic OG/veteran Paige1292, who just came back to us with a damn BANG and dropped a brand spankin' new story entitled Waves. She's dropped the SECOND chapter already, and it's pure fire. Go check it out, and shower her with love!
Anyways, enjoy and drop me a review with yo thoughtsssss.
Chapter 7: Love Jones (part 2)
"Life is not a spectator sport. If you're going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you're wasting your life."
-Jackie Robinson
Huey drove away from his lunch with Jazmine with his mind moving at a mile a minute, the mellow sounds of Naughty By Nature drowning out the engine problems emitting from Dorothy… which he chose to ignore for the time being. He thought that spending a couple of days away from her, avoiding all contact with her and occupying his time with Nina and The Renaissance, might help him move on from her. He thought it might have given him enough time and distance to fully process the fact that she was actually getting married in seventeen days, and that she moved on.
He thought wrong. Incredibly wrong, apparently.
He glanced up into his rearview mirror, watching Jazmine's car drive further away in the opposite direction. He thought about how after work, she would go home to Andrew Taylor and he would be the one to help her unwind and relax. He would be the one she told about all of the details of her day, big and small. He would be the one she curled up on the couch with to watch corny Netflix shows and original movies with. He would be the one to massage her back the way she liked when she was feeling stressed. And he would be the one left to lap up her sweet nectar after a night of passion.
Huey's fists clenched on the steering wheel, his knuckles straining tight against his skin. He didn't like the thought of any of that, not in the slightest. It was clear to him from the moment she texted him earlier in the afternoon that he wasn't making any progress at all in getting over her, not that he wholeheartedly thought that two days of space would be enough to get the job done anyway.
On one hand, he felt grateful for the wedding in some way. Operation: Sabotage gave him an excuse to come back into her life and share something intimate, just between the two of them. At least, for the time being. On the other hand… She was still marrying someone else, someone he couldn't stand the sight of since eighth grade at that.
He pulled into the parking lot of the Wuncler Community Fitness Center and parked, cutting the engine. With a sigh, he closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the seat. Logically, he knew that it was wrong for him to still feel some kind of way about her. He was the one who wouldn't commit when he had years of opportunity, afterall. She was well within her right to do whatever she wanted with whomever she wanted to. The nigga within him, however, felt an almost animalistic claim to her. It was as if Andrew had moved into his territory while he was away, and now that he was back, he felt an overwhelming urge to take back what had always belonged to him.
He shook off his thoughts of toxic masculinity as he heard a vehicle with their music blasting pull into the parking space beside him. He opened his eyes and saw Caesar beaming down at him with a goofy smile from behind his steering wheel. Riley was seated on the passenger side of Caesar's SUV, playfully flicking off his older brother.
Huey had texted the two while he was with Jazmine, requesting they meet him at the gym under the guise of a workout session. It was all a part of Operation: Sabotage; he would use their time at the gym to determine whether or not either of them had a hand in sending the false letter from Jazmine, while she would do the same with her friends, Cindy and Melody. The plan should go smoothly from here, he thought. Emphasis on 'should.'
He exited Dorothy, grabbing his gym bag from the trunk before walking around the car to greet Caesar and Riley on the other side. After dapping each other up and exchanging light small talk for a few minutes, the three of them made their way inside of the gym. Riley was already wearing his gym clothes, so he headed straight for the treadmill to complete his daily run while Huey and Caesar went into the locker room to change. When finished, Caesar went off to lift his usual sets of weights, while Huey had his eye on the punching bag.
Huey approached the punching bag with a slight smirk on his face, skillfully wrapping his hands in gauze and athletic tape as he walked towards it. He was about to make that bag his bitch. After effectively stretching his body, he cracked his knuckles before going ham on the gym's punching bag. He threw his all into his punches, kicks, and combinations, switching up between various fighting styles along the way. The emotions he always buried within came pouring out through his fluid body motions, releasing his rage, stress, and anxiety with every collision against the heavy, leather surface. He kept up his momentum for hours until his body could no longer handle the exertion, finally forcing him to stop. Panting and dripping in sweat, he took a seat on the floor beneath him, bending his legs and resting his arms on top of his spread knees, with his head hanging down.
"Yo, you a'ight?"
Huey looked up to see his younger brother standing above him, holding out a bottle of water for him to take. He took it, offering his brother a gratuitous head nod before he chugged half the bottle. "I'm good."
Caesar walked over to them, extending a hand to help his best friend up off of the floor. "You sure? 'Cus it was looking like the Fourth Shinobi World War over there between you and that punching bag."
Huey waved his hand off and jumped to his feet. He was too exhausted to beat around the bush, so he figured now was as good a time as any to cut right to the chase. "Did either of you send me an invitation to Jazmine's wedding, or write me a letter on her behalf?"
He watched their expressions closely, making note of any telling changes in their body language or any overall suspicious behavior. They both frowned, seemingly caught off guard by his abrupt question, exchanged looks with each other, then stared at him with apparent confusion.
"Nigga… what?" Riley asked incredulously.
"Yeah, man… what are you talking about?" Asked Caesar with a frown.
Huey sighed. "Someone invited me to Jazmine's wedding, and wrote me a letter impersonating her. We're trying to figure out who did it and why."
Slowly, Caesar's frown spread into a grin. "Wait, we?"
Huey stared at him blankly. That's what stood out to him? "Grow up, Michael."
Caesar chuckled playfully. "I'm just saying man, you two are getting pretty close again, huh?"
Riley's ears seemed to visibly perk up at an opportunity to mock his older brother. "Yeah, yeah!" he snickered. "Goin' out to eat and shit."
Caesar's eyes widened at hearing that information. "Oh, woooorrrrrrd?!"
Huey hated this. He briefly wondered how Riley even knew about that, but it was possible that their grandfather or even Jazmine herself told him, since he and Jazmine were apparently so close now. Which he also hated. "It was just lunch, it's really not a big deal."
"Huey, how could you? Why didn't you tell me?" Caesar asked, fake hurt taking over his expression.
Huey rolled his eyes. This wasn't the interrogation he'd anticipated. "There was nothing to tell."
"Ayo, how her man feel about that anyway? If my girl was out with her old nigga, I would trip." Riley said, shaking his head.
The very mention of him was the straw that broke the camel's back. "Who gives a fuck what he thinks?" Huey snapped, his voice rising in volume, earning the trio a few odd stares.
Riley and Caesar shared a surprised glance at Huey's outburst.
"It sounds to me like you're pressed about Jazzy and Drew," Caesar said bluntly, stroking his chin dramatically.
Huey's nostrils flared in anger at hearing his so-called 'best friend' call that nigga by his nickname. "I am not 'pressed' over goddamned Andrew Taylor." He spat through clenched teeth.
"I don't know, man… You sound pretty pressed," Caesar said with a half smile and light shrug.
"Silk pressed." Riley chimed in with a sneer.
"Panini pressed." Caesar added, unable to conceal his laughter.
"Washed, dried, and... pressed." Riley joked, erupting into a fit of laughter along with Caesar.
Huey glared at his ignorant friend and brother as they laughed, while he unwrapped the gauze and athletic tape from around his hands. He wasn't in the mood for their bullshit, and the fact that they could stand in his face and make a mockery of his situation pissed him off to the fullest extent. He never did appreciate being laughed at, and on top of that, he wasn't any closer to figuring out who summoned him back to Woodcrest. "I'm leaving."
Caesar sucked his teeth, his laughter dying down. "Come on. Don't be like that, brotha'."
Huey ignored him entirely, walking away from them and going to retrieve his clothes from the locker room. He didn't bother wasting time to change back into his regular clothes, he just needed to get the hell up out of there before he seriously laid hands on Riley or Caesar. He knew that their jokes were only misguided attempts at getting him to open up about Jazmine or whatever, but he simply didn't want to. Though he loved them both, they played entirely too much and needed to learn when to just stop. He chose instead to continue rocking his sweaty grey t-shirt with matching sweatpants, along with his worn-down, white running shoes. With his belongings in tow, he left the gym and began driving away.
The last place he wanted to be at the moment was home. He had no idea if Riley would be there anytime soon, and it was best for the integrity of their newly restored house if he cooled off before he saw his brother again. He drove aimlessly around town for a while, taking in the scenery and attempting to clear his mind. About an hour later, Huey found himself parked on the street outside of The Renaissance, the speakeasy he'd been frequenting the past few days. He had no idea what exactly compelled him to go there, and he actually didn't remember making a conscious decision to drive there. But the place had provided him with a bizarre sense of tranquility the few times he went, so he didn't mind going there again.
Huey cut the engine and climbed out of his grandfather's car, walking down the now familiar alley that led to the speakeasy's discreet entrance. He pushed open the door, and crossed the threshold that once again felt like stepping through time itself into another era. He walked into the dimly lit room, taking in his surroundings. This time, instead of smooth jazz, his ears were met with a more upbeat swing style of music. A few of the round tables were pushed against the far, concrete wall to provide space for a makeshift dance floor. Dozens of now familiar faces were decked out in their usual 1920s gangster and flapper gear, twirling and tapping away to the trumpets. As his eyes continued to scan the room, he realized that he was really looking for her, the mysterious Nina. Besides the obvious, there was just something about her that intrigued him.
He walked further into the speakeasy, unable to spot her anywhere. Maybe she isn't here tonight, he thought. Giving up on his search, he made his way over to the vintage bar, deciding he could use a drink after such a mentally draining day. He took a seat on one of the bar stools and ordered himself an aged whisky, neat. Huey downed his drink within seconds, thanking the bartender with a generous tip. He sat there for a little while, enjoying the music and was even considering ordering another drink when a familiar face approached him.
"Hey, I know you." Said a rail thin, middle aged dark skinned man. He was dressed like an original member of the Rat Pack, with his classic, black and white pinstriped pantsuit. He even had on a black fedora with a single red feather sticking out of the side. Huey recognized him as the emcee of the speakeasy. "You're a friend of Nina's, right?"
Huey gave him one curt nod in acknowledgement. The two had spent the past two nights there in the speakeasy, getting to know each other better. Although she was a wildly attractive woman, he knew that he needed to resolve his feelings for Jazmine before he could be ready to pursue another woman romantically. He did find Nina very interesting, however, and she made great conversation. He didn't see a problem with engaging in a friendship with her. "Huey Freeman."
The emcee smiled, extending his hand for Huey to shake. "They call me Ricky. Nice to formally meet you, son."
"Likewise." Huey said, shaking Ricky's hand firmly. "Have you seen Nina by the way?"
Ricky chuckled, deep and hearty. "Here, there, you know. Around. She's a slippery one, that gal."
Huey frowned at the odd way he phrased it. He thought back to the first night he met her, and the way she slipped away after reading her poem. "Noted."
"She tells me you have a knack for the arts, kid, any interest in showing your stuff tonight?" Ricky asked, nudging him lightly with his elbow.
Huey almost laughed at the absurd thought, before he was reminded of his half-assed offer to give poetry a shot after she suggested it. Did she put him up to this? "Nah, I don't think so," he said.
Ricky shrugged. "Suit yourself, kid. If you change your mind, you know where to find me." He said, bidding Huey farewell with a Charlie Chaplin-esque wave of his hand. Huey watched the strange man make his way through the crowd and over to the stage, preparing for open mic.
It was then that he spotted her out of the corner of his eye. She was seated alone at one of the round tables, equally as stunning as the previous few times he saw her. This time, she had on a long, red, sparkly evening gown. It had a sweetheart neckline that framed her bust and accentuated her tiny waist perfectly, a high slit running up her thigh. Her head was bent as she wrote in her notebook, much like the first time he saw her, only this time her dark ringlets were pinned up in an intricate updo. She looked amazing, almost like a black Jessica Rabbit. He was certain that she wasn't sitting there when he first came in, though, leaving him to wonder when she got there. As if she could sense his eyes on her, she looked up and he was once again met with her captivating, amber eyes. She flashed a dimpled smile at him and motioned for him to join her at her table. He stood up from the bar and crossed the room to her table, taking a seat in the chair beside her.
"Huey Freeman." She greeted him, her Bajan accent thick. "Welcome back."
Huey smirked at her. "Glad to be back," he said.
"How was your day?" she asked, still smiling at him.
He thought about all of the events that took place throughout his day before he responded. "Eh. I've had better days," he admitted.
She frowned. "I'm so sorry to hear that. Would you like to know a great way to take your mind off of things?"
He arched a brow at her, curious as to what she was implying. "What's that?"
She smiled at him once again. "Writing. You still owe me a poem, if my memory serves me correctly."
He shook his head at her. Since the first night he met her, she had been actively trying to get him to write poetry. "I don't believe I ever actually agreed to that."
She waved a dismissive hand in his direction. "Oh, semantics. Just give it a try, it can't hurt."
She did have a point, he thought. What could possibly be the worst thing that happened? He would be awful at it and never try it again? There were worse things in the world. "Sure, why not." He said, finally deciding to indulge her.
Nina beamed a bright smile at his acceptance. Silently, she tore an unmarked page out of her own notebook and slid it across the table to him, along with her pen.
Huey sighed, turning his attention from her to the paper in front of him. How is this supposed to work? He thought, trying and failing at finding the words to fill the blank page. Several moments passed, and he still couldn't think of a single word to write. The paper seemed to stare at him, rather than the other way around. There was something incredibly daunting about the vast emptiness of it. It was mocking him, daring him to do something.
Growing frustrated, Huey finally looked up from the empty page and over at her. "Okay, I can't do this."
She shook her head at him. "You're overthinking it. I told you before, it's very simple."
He shrugged, failing to understand why she seemed to be so adamant about his ability to do this. "I'm just not cut out for this."
"You are, trust me. You just need to find your muse. Try this," she said, sitting up straight in her chair and folding her hands on the table. "Close your eyes and take a deep breath."
He arched a skeptical brow at her. "And this is supposed to accomplish what, exactly?" he asked sarcastically.
Nina smirked, her eyes remaining closed as she responded. "This will help you find your muse, my friend."
He sighed, closing his eyes and straightening his posture per her request. "Fine."
"Now," she continued. "Take a deep breath in through your nose, and out through your mouth. Clear your mind. Release all of your thoughts. Your mind should be a blank canvas. Your muse will come to you, if you allow it to."
Huey followed her instructions, taking his deep breaths and clearing his mind. At first, nothing happened. He was just staring at the darkness of the inside of his eyelids, feeling like a jackass. He was mere seconds away from giving up and calling it a night, when he saw something. His mind was transported through time and suddenly, he was ten years old again.
Sixteen years ago
One thing Huey loved about summer was the fact that he had all the time in the world to read as many non-curriculum books as he pleased. It was mid-July, and already he was seventy-five percent finished with his self-appointed reading list. He currently sat on the Hill, as he lost himself within the pages of a Nelson Mandela biography. Beside him in the warm grass sat Jazmine DuBois, who took it upon herself to tag along.
While Huey had his nose buried in his novel, Jazmine was busy frowning down at her hair, twirling a strand of her curls around her fingers with a sigh. "I hate summer," she said. "My hair's all big and poofy. I just wish it could look like-"
Huey cut her off before she could finish, raising his head from his book and pointing skyward. It was very seldom a day went by without Jazmine making derogatory comments about her kinky hair. Or her cultural identity in general, but usually they were about her distaste for the hair she inherited from her father's genes. It bothered Huey tremendously every time she did it, mocking the crown on her head that was almost identical to his own. "Gee, I hate to interrupt, but what do you think of those clouds over there?"
The two ten year olds stared up at the bright, blue sky filled with dozens of fluffy, white clouds for a brief moment in silence. "Do you like them?" he prodded. Couldn't she see how special her hair was? By defying gravity the way it did, it meant that her hair was closer to the sun, closer to the clouds above.
"Of course!" she squealed. "They're all big and pretty and… I don't know… They just look nice, you know? They look big and soft. I like them. Why?"
He shook his head slightly, returning his attention back to his book. Apparently, that day would not be the day she received the message. "Just curious. Now, what were you saying?"
Jazmine turned her gaze away from the sky, frowning at him. "I was saying that I can't stand my hair. You don't pay attention to me."
Huey flipped a page in his novel, his expression neutral despite the frustration he felt inside. It was clear that she was hopeless… Yet still, he vowed to himself the day he first met her that he would never give up trying to get her to embrace and maybe even love her black features one day. "Neither do you."
Huey almost smiled at the memory from his childhood. Jazmine had grown so much as a self-aware person of color since then, and in some ways, she was still more or less the same. He took one more deep breath before he opened his eyes again, finding that Nina was no longer sitting beside him. He glanced around the speakeasy in search of her, but she was nowhere to be found. How does she do that? He wondered briefly. With a shrug, he cast his eyes downward, looking down at the blank page on the table before him. Finally, words began swimming around in his head, and suddenly, the white piece of paper didn't feel quite so intimidating anymore.
And so, he began to write. He wrote all about the clouds and the insecure little girl who reminded him of them. He wrote about the sun and the stars and the magnificent view of both that could be seen from his Hill. He wrote about life and love, pain and tragedy. He wrote about his insignificant existence in the vast universe, and what it all meant to him. Hours went by as Huey transferred the thoughts in his head onto the piece of notebook paper Nina left him with. Before he knew it, the page was full and his poem was complete. When he looked up again, he saw that most of the patrons had already left for the evening, save for a small handful of people scattered around.
"You're finished, I take it?" Asked Nina. She was suddenly behind him on his left side, bent over slightly and peering down at his paper over his shoulder.
He raised both brows at her unexpected appearance, startled. Seriously, how the hell does she do that? He thought to himself. Sneaking up on someone as formally trained in combat as he, without him noticing, was no small feat. He glanced up at her and shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "Yeah." He said, without elaboration.
She smiled at him, before taking a seat in the chair beside his own. "May I read it?" she asked.
Huey hesitated momentarily. His poem felt extremely personal, and a part of him didn't want anyone to read it or ever see it. As if by divine intervention, he heard the voice of Dr. Harris repeat what she'd told him a few days prior: do it without fear. The message served as a reminder in his subconscious for him to step out of his comfort zone and make different choices than those that led to him living his life on autopilot, prior to his mandatory vacation. "I guess," he said.
Nina extended her hand the short distance across the table and retrieved his poem, reading it silently to herself with a neutral expression on her face. Time seemed to stretch for an eternity as he waited in anticipation for her to finish. Finally, she sat the paper back down on the surface, nodding her head in what appeared to be approval. "You're ready," was all she said.
He raised a quizzical brow at her. "For?"
She gave him a sly smirk. "Tomorrow's open mic. I'll tell Ricky to put your name on the list."
He frowned. "Hold up, I don't-"
"Goodnight, Huey Freeman." She said, interrupting his protest with another dimpled smile and a wink. She rose to her feet and began making her way over to the emcee, presumably to inform him about putting Huey's name on the open mic list. "See you tomorrow."
Huey returned home shortly after, spent some quality time with his grandfather, and took a quick shower before retiring to his bedroom for the night. He went to bed that evening feeling apprehensive about his upcoming open mic reading. It would be something new, different, and even the smallest bit exciting from his usual routine. He actually felt himself looking forward to it, which surprised him. After the exhausting day he had, it didn't take long for sleep to find him and pull him under.
He dreamt of the clouds, and the beautiful young woman who reminded him of them.
A/N: Don't hate me, but I'm saving Jazmine's POV for next chapter, and I swear I'm not BSing when I say a Riley POV is coming soon lol. Disclaimer: The flashback from Huey's POV came directly from the comic strip. The dialogue is verbatim, though I did add minor details to help describe the art and Huey's thoughts. Let's all take a moment of silence to thank Aaron McGruder for his brilliance.
That's all folks. Thank you all for reading, and wash your hands and stuff.
