Jazmine took a deep breath of fresh air, "You don't have to walk me home. I know you live in the opposite direction."

Michael shrugged nonchalantly, "Actually, I was wondering if you'd wanna grab something to eat?" His heart sped up slightly, not sure of what Jazmine's reply would be. He left it vague, up to her interpretation. If she saw it as something between just two friends, that was okay. If she saw it as a date, that was okay, too. It wasn't as if they hadn't gone out to eat before. She was so oblivious to so many things that he wouldn't be surprised if she didn't think much of the question.

"What'd you have in mind? And if we're going to get food can I go home and shower really quick, I feel gross. Plus we won't have to walk, I can just drive." Jazmine replied, paying more attention to making sure she only took two steps on every square of pavement.

Michael took a deep breath, slightly in relief but also in disappointment, "Yeah, for sure, that's cool. But I don't know, we could go wherever you wanna go."

He listened to her as she listed all the places she was feeling, slightly lost in his thoughts. He couldn't lie to himself and say he wasn't feeling Jazmine. He knew how she felt about Huey, and even though Huey was his best friend, he wasn't shit when it came to relationships. That wasn't none of his business though, all he knew was that Jazmine was a catch. She had a good head on her shoulders, had a good future ahead of her, and she looked amazing in his eyes.

Time and time again, he told Huey that if he didn't shoot his shot with Jazmine, then he was going to take the chance with her.

"So, that new Mexican place?" Jazmine confirmed, snapping Michael out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, sounds good," he nodded putting his shirt back on as they got closer to Jazmine's house.

"Do you wanna come inside? It's a lot cooler," Jazmine asked as she unlocked the front door, "my parents won't mind."

"Nah, I'm good. I'll wait out here, take your time." Michael waved her towards her house as he sat down on the steps in front of her house. I scrolled on his phone until he saw someone walking up to him in his peripheral vision. He looked up and smiled, seeing Riley standing in front of him in a pair of ballouts.

"Wassup Ceez, what you doing over here?" Riley smirked as they dapped each other up.

"Bout to go out to eat with Jaz. You good with that whole Cindy thing?" Caesar asked in an attempt to change the topic of discussion.

Riley just sucked his teeth, "I'm tired of Cindy ass always playing them fucking games. I'm done with that bullshit. She can fuck with whatever lame ass nigga she wanna fuck with."

"You can't really be mad, she always gave you the chance and you never took it up," Caesar sat back down on the front steps.

"Man who's side are you on anyways? Cindy ain't ever sat down to talk to me about whatever the fuck we are," Riley dribbled the ball side to side, still shaking his head.

"Yeah, neither have you… Last time I checked. The Freeman brothers are on something else huh?"

"Yeah, yeah...whatever. I don't know what that nigga Huey on but I know I ain't on nothing. Whatchu doing with Jaz anyways?" Riley glanced at Caesar trying to take the topic off Cindy. That was his bro but it was nothing that he wanted to talk about at the moment.

"I already told you, we going to grab some food," Caesar shrugged his shoulders, glancing back at Jazmine's front door. Maybe by some miracle she'd pop out at this instance.

"Yeah yeah, I heard you. Wassup with you and her?" Riley side-eyed him. Caesar was his bro, but Huey was his brother. He was gonna keep an eye out regardless of if they were together or not.

"Nothin', I'm just taking her out to eat."

"Y'all vibing?"

"What's it to you?" Caesar counted back. Riley hunched his shoulders back and shrugged. Thankfully, he heard the front door open and he stood up and started to walk over the Jazmine's car.

"Hey Riley, sorry about earlier." Jazmine said meekly as she stopped in front of him.

He shrugged it off, "Don't worry about it. I'm about to go hoop. Text me later?"

"Yeah, of course! Bye," Jazmine smiled as she unlocked her car and they both got in. Riley looking at them as they pulled off and turned off of Timid Deer Lane. He sucked his teeth and shook his head.

"Man, ain't this some shit."

(1:24 am, same 'day')

So, you gonna come thru?

You deadass ditched me last night why tf would i come thru?

I had to take care of my friend don't take it personal

Go ask her to come thru then

Huey felt like rolling his eyes. Would he ever really ask Jazmine to come through? A situation like that would never pop up in the first place so what was the point in thinking about it?

I'm sorry Mel

You mean it?

Fr I'm sorry

Let me make it up to you

She sent the eye roll emoji and said she'd be there in twenty minutes. He really rolled his eyes this time, he'd have forty minutes before she got there, tops. He got up, crept down the hall to make sure Granddad was actually sleep before going into the living room where Riley was sitting on the couch playing the game.

"You're still up?" Huey asked, plopping down on the couch.

"Yeah, fucked up my schedule cause the party," Riley sucked his teeth at the game. "What you up for?"

"Melina's sliding," Huey leaned back against the couch.

"Can you make sure she shut the fuck up this time? Cause last time she was hollering like someone was about to kill her."

"I really be killing her shit, but Melina don't scream like that. That's Breana." Huey laughed and rubbed his head.

The two brothers sat in silence for a little bit.

"I can't believe I use to call yo ass gay when were younger. Now you really pulling bitches. Who would've thought?" Riley laughed. He hadn't really talked to Huey all day, mostly avoiding him because he wanted to talk about Jazmine and Caesar, but wasn't really sure how he should bring it up. It's not that right now was really the right time to bring it up either but… he wasn't the most tactful person in the first place. "So, after we left Cindy's crib, you know how I went to play ball after?"

"Yeah, why?" Huey was focusing on the game, only halfway listening.

"Yeah, yeah. So I was out there and I saw Ceez just chilling out there. I was talking to him whatever and he said he was taking her out to eat," Riley said as chill as possible, glancing at Huey from the corner of his eye multiple times.

Huey paused for a minute, "Oh? That's crazy."

"Yeah, and I'm just telling you cause I know how you gettin it and shit but… Jaz. Jaz is really good for you. She's been waiting forever and I don't think she's gonna wait that much longer."

"How are you gonna tell me all this while Cindy be fucking around with mad niggas? Like you ain't been feeling her since we were kids." Huey snapped back, already on the defense. Why the fuck would Riley bring this shit up when he already told him that Melina would be over soon?

"You don't even gotta bring that shit up cause it's not the same. I'm chilling. I'm get with Cindy when she chilling." Riley paused the game and stared Huey down.

"Why you even bring that shit up? Jazmine has absolutely nothing to do with me, that's not any of my business," Huey said… mostly to convince himself that it was true. Well, technically, it was true, what she did with whoever wasn't any of his business.

"Cause she's a good girl and you fucking with mad thots. Jazmine ain't like them. You know that."

Huey sucked his teeth, "Whatever."

Riley just shrugged and went back to his game. It wasn't like when they were younger when every and anything would end up in a fight. If Huey wanted to be a dumbass nigga then that was definitely on him. He did his part, that was that. He felt obligated to say something cause of Caesar, mostly. But he wasn't going to bring it up again.

Meanwhile, Huey had pulled his phone out his pockets and got on Instagram. He went on Jazmine's page, scrolling through the pictures she had posted. He was in a lot of them, most of them just group pictures with everybody but a few of just the two of them. He clicked on her story. He had seen it come up earlier but didn't think much of it, she usually just posted the music she was listening to or the work she was doing. But, there it was, five consecutive stories featuring her and Caesar.

It wasn't even anything abnormal. But he knew the context behind it. He knew what Caesar was trying to get at and he felt weird. He couldn't have been upset about it, because he didn't even like Jazmine like that anyways, right? Just as he was looking at Jazmine's most recent picture, the one when they were at the pool yesterday, her in her bikini, glowing and glistening, Melina texted him that she was outside.

He closed Instagram and stood up to let her in. She waved meekly at Riley, probably not thinking that he would be there to see her. He lead her to his room and he closed it, locked it - just in case Granddad woke up - and immediately took his shirt off and started to kiss on her.

Jazmine didn't matter. Melina was in front of him, Melina wanted him. That was all that mattered at the moment.