After their moment at the hilltop, Huey and Jazmine had bonded more than they had in years. He was starting to remember why she was such a good friend - a good person, actually. She was such a kind person and he had forgotten why she had always been such a good balance for him. They weren't just friends because of "time-sake". He felt like an idiot when the realization had struck him, he didn't really appreciate Jazmine as a friend. He had taken her for granted for years. She was the only one who was truly understanding and helpful through his situation with Melina. He didn't even deserve it.
He didn't even deserve it and yet she was constantly checking up on him, asking him if he was okay. Making sure that he wasn't beating himself up about it. Nobody was doing that for him, and even though he loved his brother and his best friends, the most they asked was, "you good bro?". She started to initiate hanging out after school, them going over each other's house to do homework, or to go to the library. Sometimes they'd grab dinner or order delivery. He was so thankful because who knows what he would've been doing without her trying to keep his mind straight.
"Are you even listening?" Jazmine snapped her fingers in front of Huey's face, catching his attention. He blinked for a second and then shook his head.
"No, sorry," Huey sighed and put his head back against the seat. He was grateful for Jazmine but it didn't make this any less embarrassing for him.
Jazmine rolled her eyes, putting her hand back on the wheel. "Well, as I was saying… just to ease your mind I'll get tested with you. Does that make you feel better?"
It didn't really make him feel better. What did she need to get tested for? Was she having sex with other guys? Huey knocked that thought out of his head, "Yeah, it makes me feel better."
"Huh, doesn't sound that genuine to me. It has been like six months since the last time I was here. Might as well kill two birds at once right?" Jazmine tried to smile. It was awkward as hell but she was determined to not make Huey feel bad about the whole getting tested for sexually transmitted infections thing. He was a brave guy but something told her that Huey was worried about the outcome of what the tests were going to be.
"I'm pretty sure I'm fine," Huey shrugged, "better safe than sorry though, I guess. Did you wanna grab something to eat after this?"
"Yeah what were you thinking?" Jazmine smiled as she glanced at him.
The rest of the car ride they bickered back and forth about where they were going to eat after leaving the clinic. Huey wanted to try out a new Greek place, Jazmine wanted several different places but wasn't really sure what she wanted. She just knew she didn't want Greek, to Huey's annoyance.
"You're too old to be this picky of an eater, Jaz." Huey mumbled as he crossed his arms across his chest and sat quietly.
"I'm not picky, I just don't want Greek food. Is that such a big deal?" Jazmine huffed.
"Okay, what do you want then?" Huey asked, trying not to sound like he was exasperated.
"I don't know, let me think." Jazmine shrugged.
Huey felt like groaning but resisted the urge to do so. What turned into annoyance quickly shifted to nervousness though as the two teens pulled into the parking lot of the clinic. What if, what if, what if was all he could think about.
Jazmine read the change in demeanor quickly and tried to help Huey out, "Hey, I'm sure you're all good. Better safe than sorry, right? And most of them can be treated with antibiotics so it's not a big deal."
Huey just nodded and climbed out of the passenger seat. Jazmine sighed softly and followed after him. They both walked in together, Jazmine smiling at the receptionist behind the front desk. She wasn't new to the clinic, this is where she got her birth control from and where she got tested.
"Hi, we're here to get tested for STIs? I called in the other day, Jazmine DuBois. And you guys accept walk-ins right?" Jazmine slipped into her sweet-polite voice. Riley liked to call it her white voice.
"Yeah of course. If you both could sign in for me. Are you here for the couple testing?" The receptionist asked quietly, despite there not being anyone else in the waiting room.
Huey started to speak up, "Oh n-"
Jazmine cut him off abruptly, kicking her foot into his shin, "Yes we are."
"Okay great, we have a discount going for couples who get tested together. Trying to emphasize the importance of it, you know?" The receptionist chuckled and Jazmine chimes in with her. Jazmine filled everything out and then handed Huey his clipboard. He had to be honest, he felt like a little kid going to the doctor with the way Jazmine was treating him. Not that he really minded. At least they'd get a discount for today.
Once they handed everything back, the receptionist told them it'd be just a few minutes. They were going to do their testing separately. Huey was called back by a nurse first. He followed her into one of the small rooms and sat down.
"Okay, Huey. I'm Nadia, I'll be your nurse for this visit. How are you? It says you're here to get tested today?" She pointed for Huey to sit down on the paper-covered table as she sat down on the swivel seat that was in front of the computer.
"Yeah," Huey nodded.
"Alright, I'm going to ask you a few questions if that's okay? No judgment here, I just need honest answers." Nadia smiles at Huey warmly. He just nodded again.
She began to ask him a slew of questions. When was the last time he had sex, how often did he use protection, if he's had any symptoms, everything to get a slight glimpse into his sexual health. By the end of the questions, he was just about blushing.
"Okay, I'm just going to take your vitals. Then I'm going to go grab what I need for the tests. We'll be doing a urine sample for chlamydia and gonorrhea and a blood sample for HIV and syphilis. Have you had any abnormal bumps or sores on or around your penis?"
Huey cleared his throat, "No I haven't."
She made small talk with him as she checked his temperature, blood pressure, and breathing. She told him everything was seemingly normal and said she would be right back. Just as she walked out, his phone buzzed twice. The first text was from Riley, asking if they could play ball later on. The second one was a text from Melina. The first time she had even replied to his many, many texts over the course of the last few days. It was a picture of a positive pregnancy test. Four of them to be exact.
Huey felt his heart starting to race. She definitely took the pictures, it was her nails in each of them. But they might not have been her results. She could've gotten a friend to pee on a stick. Wasn't there a way to buy fake tests, too? Again… maybe it wasn't even his. He couldn't focus on one factor.
He heard the nurse come back in. He went to the bathroom to pee in the cup, he came back and let her stick him to get a blood sample. He sat there as she explained that they'd call him for his results in a few days. But it wasn't really him. When he was finally able to leave, he tried to quickly get back to the waiting room so he could be with Jazmine.
She was there, scrolling on her phone. As soon as she saw him she smile and stuck both her thumbs up in the air. How did they finish her before they finished him? It must've been obvious that he wasn't doing okay because the smile from her face fell and she stood up to meet him halfway.
"Is everything okay?" Jazmine grabbed Huey's arm.
"Yeah, yeah… I'm fine." Huey nodded. He felt really queasy though. His stomach was rolling more than it ever had in his life.
"Well, we have to pay. Then we can go." Jazmine pulled him over to the receptionist. Jazmine paid for her tests, Huey paid for his. The receptionist thanked them and wished them a good day and then Jazmine was pulling him out of the clinic and to the car.
Halfway to the car, Huey stopped and stepped away from Jazmine before bending over and throwing up all over the pavement. Jazmine squealed and gagged a bit but Huey couldn't be bothered. His stomach still hurt and he wasn't feeling any better.
Jazmine ran back into the clinic to tell them about the throw-up. She came back out with a plastic bag that the receptionist had given her but by then, it was out of his system. Jazmine shoved the bag into his hands and shooed him away to the car, telling him not to throw up in her car. As he sat in the car, with the door open he listened to Jazmine apologize profusely to the women who were cleaning up the mess.
Apparently, it was a pretty common occurrence and nothing that they weren't used to.
Jazmine finally made her way back to the car, "Did you eat something bad? Want to go home?"
"No I just got this picture," Huey pulled his phone out and let Jazmine see the pictures that Melina had sent him. "I'm fine. I don't wanna eat but we can still hang out. Can I just go home and brush my teeth?"
Jazmine nodded meekly, "Yeah… of course."
The car ride home was tense and quiet. Jazmine stuck in her thoughts and Huey stuck in his. When Jazmine pulled into her driveway, she turned the car off and looked at Huey, "Are you sure you want to still hang out…? We don't have to."
"I'd rather have you with me," Huey sighed, climbing out the car.
"My house or yours?" Jazmine asked, getting out and locking the door.
"Mine is fine," Huey shrugged, waiting for Jazmine to walk to his side.
"Good idea," Jazmine smiled. Her stomach gurgled a little, and she wished that she would've stopped to pick something up to eat. Hopefully, Huey would be up to eat later on. They crossed the street and Jazmine squeaked when she felt Huey's hand against the small of her back. She felt like her knees were gonna go weak.
They walked into the Freeman's house together. Huey headed straight up the steps and Jazmine wandered into the living room where Mr. Freeman was sitting in his recliner watching TV. "Good afternoon, Mr. Freeman," Jazmine smiled as she sat on the couch.
"Well hello there, cutie pie. How are you?" Robert smiled at her. Jazmine really had a good head on her shoulders and he couldn't even imagine why she still hung out with Huey and Riley. Not that they weren't growing up with a good head on their shoulders, they were just a little behind.
"I'm okay, just ready for school to be over."
"I keep forgetting, you and Huey are graduating this year. I'm so proud of you, I remember when you were a little cutie pie and look at you now," Robert praised her. The way that Tom and Sarah were, Jazmine could've gone a completely separate way.
Huey chimed in as he walked into the living room, "Funny how you say that to Jazmine but haven't even said that to me."
"Nigga, mind your damn business. Was I talking to you?" Robert turned to look at his oldest grandson.
Huey took a deep breath and turned his attention to Jazmine, "Are you hungry? I know we were supposed to go eat."
Jazmine shook her head, knowing she'd regret it later. It wasn't like it'd kill her to say yes, he was the one offering. And they had been friends for how long now? This was practically her third home, right after Cindy's place, of course. Still, being polite came first.
Huey shrugged, "All right. You want to go upstairs then?"
"Yeah," Jazmine nodded. She got up and waved to Mr. Freeman, "See you, Mr. Freeman."
"Alright now, bye cutie pie."
Once they were in Huey's room, Huey sucked his teeth. "I still don't understand why he's so nice to you."
"Probably because you and Riley get on his nerves," Jazmine laughed and sat down on the edge of Huey's bed. "But do you feel any better?"
"Yeah, I don't know what came over me. I'm really sorry you had to see that." Huey mumbled. Admittedly, he was pretty embarrassed. He did feel a lot better though.
"It's fine. Just nerves, which is understandable. But I really think that you need to sit down and talk to Melina." Jazmine hated this situation, and she hoped that it worked out in the best way possible, but they needed to be mature about this situation.
"I've been trying," Huey walked around his room, tidying up things that didn't really need tidying.
"Just be really heartfelt. Let her know how you're feeling. She's definitely pregnant, I don't think that she's lying about that. But there's no saying that it's yours, depending on how far along she is. You guys were only talking for a few weeks, right?"
Huey just nodded. Jazmine kicked her feet, not sure what to say. She started to open her mouth to suggest that they watch TV or something but Huey beat her to it, "Thank you, Jazmine."
"Oh… yeah. Of course. It's no problem." Jazmine cheeks turned red and even though Huey wasn't looking at her directly, she turned her face to the side.
"No, really. You don't understand how crazy this has been for me. You're the only one who takes the time to really talk to me about it. I know that I can't expect it to change everyone's life but it's nice to have you." Huey sat down next to Jazmine and turned to pull her into a hug.
Jazmine slowly wrapped her arms around his torso, hugging him back tightly. Her nose was right in the crook of his neck and he smelled like his cologne and toothpaste. It felt good to hug him, but at the same time, it hurt. It felt wrong. She was being a good friend to him, but at the cost of ignoring her own feelings. She realized that there was no way she'd be able to really get over him while being so close to him.
i had to rewrite this chapter 2 times and i'm still not really happy with it. regardless, plot will be moving forward next chapter which will hopefully be out tomorrow/Sunday. school is kicking my ass and i have no inspiration to write anything so i'm sorry it's taking so long to update.