Class, eat, class. Go home, eat, study, sleep. The neverending cycle of a teen. However, halfway across the world, a teen in a less fortunate position would be farming, or wasting away in a sweatshop, or picking up scrap to sell just to scrape up enough food to avoid starving.
Sometimes Huey ponders the fortune of the black man. If his ancestors weren't kidnapped all those years ago, Huey would've been born and raised in Africa, probably brought up as a child soldier for a warlord and died at the ripe old age of 12. If his ancestors hadn't suffered through back breaking, soul crushing labour forced to build up the many business empires of the white man then who knows where he would be, he certainly wouldn't be this 17 year old teenager sitting in this cushy classroom, with comfortable air conditioning, being mad and angry all the time about his people's past, a past that made him who he is to begin with.
Who knows?
If anyone asks him, in a perfect world, with no wrongdoing, no injustice, no fight or struggle to be won, he would probably be a shepherd. Maybe a sheep one. No one in the entire world knows this but Huey has a fondness for animals. They are good companions, they don't mind anyone's business, they don't bother and pester him relentlessly, thank God they don't talk. Animals just live there, free as can be, a sort of carefree peace that he secretly envies.
Some time has passed and now leaves pile up on the ground to announce the return of Fall. Jazmine, Cindy, and her friends walk down the school hallway, chatting and discussing things, during one of the school's 10 minute breaks. One thing to note is that Cindy and her crew wear matching blue denim jackets with sunglasses.
Amy, one of Cindy's friends, says "Yo girls, you know Mr. Higgins? Rumor has it he fucking one of his students, small tits asian bitch, she's a senior."
Eliza snickers "Mr. Higgins the biology teacher? Hey he fat as hell! His classroom smells like shit and piss what the fuck was that girl thinking!"
Lily speaks up "Probably same old story, screwing the ugly ass teacher for grades. Fuck, this why men treat us like shit cause all these asscheeks for brains keeps spreading their legs for anything! These hoes keeps misrepresenting."
The girl Jazmine met at her first day, Charlotte, speaks up. "Hey hey, how about we find this yellow bitch hooker afterschool and jump her ass on her way home?"
"Yes! Oh my gosh I'm down."
"That will teach that hoe not to hoe."
Cindy joins in. "I know the girl, her name's Mei, she rides a white car to school. How bout we pull the hit in the parking lot?"
Cindy's girls approve the plan.
Cindy turns to Jazmine, who looks a little worried and tense. Cindy asks. "Jazzy, you interested?"
"I- uhh- no thank you." Jazmine softly spoke.
"Aww okay, probably for the best, your dad is a big shot lawyer so..."
Quickly, the girls instantly change topics, starting off with ambushing a girl then immediately change to boys.
"Hey ya'll saw Reezy's video right?"
"Oh when his brother knocked the shit out of that lawyer?"
Cindy adds in "Girls you won't believe it but that lawyer is actually Jazzy's dad!"
Jazmine lets out a shy smile. "Yeah... that was my dad alright." She always feels so embarrased around Cindy's friends.
"Wow that's so cool! Where did he learn how to fight like that?"
"Did you see how strong Jazzy's dad was! That kick was hella hard!"
"Jazzy I didn't know your family was so cool!"
Jazmine smiles, feeling slightly cheered up. "Aw. Thanks guys, yeah my daddy is pretty cool..."
"That Huey guy looked pretty hot..."
"Yeah tell me about it. I didn't know a hottie like that was going to this school."
"Yeah that dude definitely fucks."
"I wonder if he got a six pack. Any boy who can backflip probably does."
A couple of the girls start giggling when they talking dirty about his fitness and his physique.
Jazmine's cheeks turn red and her eyes go wide when she hears some of the naughy things the girls are saying
Cindy turns to her crew. "Alright girls, me and Jazzy are gonna head up to class. See ya'll afterschool." Cindy winks, hinting about their plan to jump a girl.
She dismisses her crew as they go their seperate ways, now Cindy and Jazmine are heading for their drama class alone.
Cindy turns to her friend. "Jazzy your cheeks are deep red."
"I- Oh, you noticed?" Jazmine frowns.
"Why you always blushin when something Huey related pops up? Damn Jazzy sometimes I just wish you 2 would get a room already."
"What! I don't have any feelings for him!"
"Suuureeeee. If you don't have feelings for that gay ass nerd with the afro then I'm Hillary Clinton."
"What? No seriously! We're just friends."
"Really? You out here giving him vegan lunches and hugging and shit like you're his damn wife."
"Okay... maybe I do like him a little bit..."
"Sometimes Jazzy I think you don't act your age. You're graduating soon and yet in terms of love you are blind as a bat!"
"Sorry, I guess I've never really been interested in dating or thinkin about boys all the time."
"Really girl? Damn. The reason you don't think about boys andd dating is because you already have Huey!"
"I- I... Maybe you're right?"
"I mean love is natural as it gets sista, that's why me and Reezy hooked up you know, I'm a girl, he's a boy, we do the same shit, we act the same way, then liking each other romantically is just bound to happen you know? He's my other half and we make up our 2-person team, I depend on him to act up when I'm not able. Then he expects the same thing from me. All that shit plus more."
"So I should like him cause we always spend time each other?"
"Well do you like him?"
"Yes!" She says, she responded a little too fast.
"Why though? Why do you like him?"
"I..." Jazmine ponders for a while. "...I don't know."
Why do I love Huey?
"Soul plane. Soul Plane. Sooouull plaaannnne. We gon fly on the SOOOOULLL plane!"
Robert Jebediah Freeman, self-proclaimed civil rights legend and war hero. A man who lived life to the fullest and even at the ripe old age of (at least) 80, the man is as spry as a spring chicken. The man has lived through many struggles in his life but now at the peak and conclusion of his life the only struggle he has is - bitches.
Robert had a wonderful wife who passed away too early, the grief he experienced that day, knowing that they wouldn't grow old together broke the man. To this day, any mention of her would most likely warrant a side of Robert that had been deeply buried away. In truth, Robert for most of his life was lonely, a certain inevitable guaranteed loneliness, a man who has tried time and time again to heal that loneliness by surrounding himself with young pretty girls, some girls were closely approaching Jazmine's age, yet no hooker, no stripper, no lover, and no partner came even close to her. Well, to her credit, Ebony Brown was close.
Yet what is a man to do, there is no cure for his sickness, his cure is her. All these hoes are just medicine, a pain relief, a distraction. A sad and terminal illness that happens to most of the elderly. In fact, statistically, elderly couples die within the same year, if their partner dies, the other one closely follows, as living the rest of their days without their soulmate is one of the most painful sensations a human can experience.
So while the boys are in school, Mr. Bitchez got a coffee date.
He doesn't wear too formally, he just makes sure to wear something nice, but something more bulky to hide his fat stomach. He wears some cologne, he even uses some makeup to hide some of the dark patches on his skin, dark patches that comes with his old age.
Robert sings. "Hot date. Hot date. Hooooottt daaaaaatte."
He takes Dorothy and drives to the cafe where they were going to have coffee and chat. Her name was Angelia, dark-skinned big booty woman in her 30s, single mom, has an exotic accent, short hair with dreadlocks, likes cooking soul food just like him.
"Hi Robert!"
"Hellooo Angelia, wow you look beautiful in that dress."
Why do I like Huey?
Jazmine and Huey head outside the school as they decided they would go out for lunch, unlike Huey, Jazmine doesn't feel bad about driving a car, she does agree with his message of being more conscious of the environment but from time to time she feels inclined to drive to school instead of having to walk.
She got her license a year ago, pretty much thanks to Huey's help. Tom would've loved to help his daughter in any way he can but he just can't stomach the feeling of dread whenever a parent has to teach their child to drive. Tom was more of a distraction for Jazmine as he freaked out more than actually giving driving lessons.
But when Jazmine asked Huey to help her, he was a complete contrast, she actually had fun learning to drive. Whenever she asked him a question he would give some of the most clearest answers in the world, he would always give her some remarks on her driving, where she did right and where she did wrong. Anytime she did a massive mistake, such as passing a red light that one time, Huey didn't freak out and shout at her and tell her to go back home, like her dad, but no he would just raise an eyebrow and shake his head in disapproval.
Jazmine aced her driving test, first try.
So as the two went in Jazmine's car and they drive to a small vegan place in Woodcrest, they ordered take-out and eat in Jazmine's car.
"Okay, 1 greek salad for you, 1 caesar salad for me! Let's eat!"
They sit there silently, with the radio tuned in to the local station, quietly relaxing. Jazmine had paid for their food, which she insisted to pay, they parked at a secluded nature area, in a field dotted with a couple of trees, a few minutes drive away from the outskirts of Woodcrest.
Huey asks "Pass the napkins?"
"Here..."
"Thanks."
...
How does he act so calm all the time, the way his eyes look whenever it gets silent, as if he is thinking about something. Huey's always thinking, it's like something is always bothering him...
Jazmine sighs. No. He's not the type of think about people. He's always thinking about suffering. People suffering or getting wronged. I love how he always thinks about all the wrong things in this world, because I know he is thinking how to fix everyone's problems...
Those eyes... always thinking. That mind of his, I just wish I can keep up.
"Uhh Jazmine?"
"I- umm what?"
"Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Staring?" Jazmine blushes..
"Is there something on my face?"
"N- Nope."
"Huey I have a question."
"You don't need to say you have a question, if you have one then just ask."
"Oh, sorry. I'm just wondering if you uhhh ummm..."
What am I doing?!
"If I what?"
"If... y- you like me?"
"What kind of question is that? If I like you?"
Oh my gosh I'm so stupid!
"Y- Yeah If you like me? Cindy and I had a chat and she said I should ask you?"
Huey sighs, caught off guard with that question. "Yes? I don't really understand your question."
"Oh."
"I like how you always listen to me? If you're asking what I like about you."
"W- what else?"
"I like how you always care. No matter how much I try to push you away, you still decide to tolerate me."
Jazmine's cheeks turn red.
"I admit I'm not the most pleasant person to be with... it's just my personality, but for some reason you go out of your way and spend time with me. Which I admit, I'm thankful for that, pushing people away and being alone does drive me crazy sometimes."
Does he like me? More than a friend?
Huey asks. "Why do you put up with me?"
"Oh! Umm..."
"Well I answered your question, answer mine."
Oh my gosh oh my gosh what do I say?
Jazmine sat there speechless, still holding her salad.
"Okay fine. You don't have to answer."
After a few moments pass, she puts her salad down and stares at her lap, trying to avoid eye contact.
"I- I like how you always take care of me."
Huey's scowl lighten.
"I like how you always teach me, you always open my eyes and show the world for what it is. I was so naive, and y- you opened my eyes."
"I like how you always help people in your own way, you aren't some sort of white knight and say everything will get better, because of course it won't. You always tell the truth to people and be blunt with things and I really like how you understand and accept the flaws in everything and despite all of these things you still find the courage to help."
"I like how you spend time with me too. I like how I can depend on you, I like how you always try to make me happy and you let me be silly and you let me act the way I am and despite knowing I annoy you and make you mad all the time, you always put up with me. I like how you defend me, and you protect me and my family, and the way your eyes get really mad when someone else hurts or insult me, the look on your face gets so concerned like you're afraid I'm going slip away forever."
Jazmine continues. "I- just- I- I like you."
"Oh." Huey responds, taking in everything that Jazmine said.
Huey sighs. "We should probably go back."
Jazmine felt her body on fire, she knew she overdid that answer. Did I- Do I have feelings for Huey?!
No- I- no- do I? I- umm... I do! Is that what they mean with falling in love?! No! How can you be so stupid Jazmine! You fell for your best friend and you had no idea this whole time!
That realization hit Jazmine like a truck.
"Jazmine? Are you listening? We should go back."
Jazmine turns to Huey, not realizing that she got lost in her thoughts. "Oh umm... sorry I didn't hear you."
Huey takes one of her hands and holds it, Jazmine's heart is racing as butterflies flutter in her stomach. "Okay, thanks for what you said, it means a lot to me. But, I say we should go back to school. We... we're gonna be late."
"Huey..." Jazmine uses every bit of willpower she has left to manage a response. "O- okay."
She starts the car and drive off.
"Hahaha Robert you did not!"
"No it's all true sweetie, when I was in my 30s I climbed the Matterhorn mountain in the Swiss Alps! Climbed it years after WW2. Expenses fully covered for veterans of course, I was an ace pilot in the Battle of Britain mind you."
"Wow impressive! But I thought the Americans wasn't in the war yet?"
"Oh no honey, I wanted to give those nazis an ass whooping so I went to London on my own and I said to them: You English pussies need me in the air! Put me on a plane and I'll show those fascist how to get off your island!"
"Wow. Robert you're amazing..." His date, Angellia looks genuinely impressed.
Angelia takes a sip of her coffee. "Robert you must have lived such an exciting life. Do you have any children?"
"Oh..." Robert's tone suddenly turns somber.
"I'm sorry Robert! I didn't mean to offend you!"
"No It's okay Angelia." Robert sighs. "I had a son... he passed away too early. But my son left me with 2 handsome grandchildren, 1 is graduating soon. Their names are Huey and Riley."
"Oh, that's nice. I'd like to meet them someday. I have a son too... it was with my ex-husband. Children are so precious and my son is the world to me. I love him with every bit of my heart."
"What's his name?"
"Michael. But my son prefers a nickname, a nickname after his father..."
"Well someday I'd like to meet him too! You are a wonderful woman Angelia and you are such a pleasant person to speak with.
Angelia lets out a small laugh. "Likewise Robert."
Huey sighs and thinks to himself. That girl! Damnit that girl.
Huey sits in his class, it's one of the few classes he doesn't share with Jazmine. In his mind, Huey has a mental struggle.
That girl has feelings for me.
Is that such a bad thing?
It is! Are you kidding yourself!
I can't. I can't drag myself down in a relationship! I have so much things to do, so much I HAVE to do!
She is your best friend! She has done everything for you, you KNOW you have feelings for her too and you're just going to push her away?!
Yes. It is what's best for us.
Fine! Fix the world, make it the perfect society in your dreams but at the end of the day you are going to be the loneliest most isolated human on the planet! When is Huey Freeman going to realize that it is okay to enjoy and live life for yourself before you go around helping other people's lives!
You are acting emotional about this! Do you remember what White Shadow said!? Involve her in my life and I'll endanger her!
Fuck what White Shadow said! You wanna be like Granddad and chase girls too young for him cause he's never been loved in over 60 years?! You really want to do that?!
Fuck you! Who said I ever want to be loved!
A finger taps him on his shoulder. "You dozing off buddy? Yeah the teacher is pretty boring am I right?"
"Hm. Don't touch me. What do you want?"
"Whoa sorry bro, I think we got off the wrong foot. I'm new, me and my mom moved in over a week ago. The name's Caesar."
"Caesar? As in Emperor?"
"Yeah I know, weird nickname, my real name is Micheal."
"Huh." Huey sighs, trying not to think about Jazmine. "My name is Huey."
"Oh as in that politician Huey Long?"
Huey scowls. "No. After Huey Newton. The revolutionary"
"Oh. I read about him. Nice name."
The bell rings signalling the end of the class. Since it is the last class, the final bell means that school is over.
Huey and Caesar stand up to leave.
"Well I'll see you around." Caesar says with a smug smile.
"We'll see."
Afterschool Huey spots Jazmine standing in front of her car waiting for him. He hesitates but then walks toward her.
"Hey. I'm done for school." Huey says.
"Great. I was just waiting for you so we can drive home together."
"You don't have to drive me home, I can walk by mys-
Jazmine cuts him off. "Can I hold your hand?"
Huey complies, letting Jazmine hold his left hand.
Huey scowls. "What are you doing Jazmine?"
"N- Nothing. Is this... is this okay? If I can hold your hand?"
"I don't really mind."
The autumn wind rustles through the air, carrying leaves with its breeze, the school parking lot was chaotic, students were moving in and out clamouring to go home, but for Jazmine time freezes ang the planet stops moving as she stood there holding Huey's hand. Without thinking, she notices her other hand on his chest and she finds herself staring at his maroon-colored eyes.
Ask him Jazmine! Date? Kiss? Hug? Do something! Anything! Now's your chance!
Suddenly, the two get interrupted with a piercing scream. "AHHHHHH!"
Huey and Jazmine turn to see an Asian girl getting beat up in the parking lot. They spot Cindy holding a golf club from the school's equipment room. Cindy waves. "Hi Jazzy! Hi McHater! Sorry just doing some business hope you don't mind!"
Cindy's crew stops beating the girl so that they can smile and wave too. "Hi Huey!" "Looking good Huey!" "Have a good day Huey!"
Huey turns to Jazmine, asking for her permission. "...Should I stop them?"
Jazmine exhales loudly, staring down at her feet. "No... Cin has her reasons. Let's just... go home."
"Okay..."