It was two days later and it was time for Malcolm to get his first check up since he left the hospital as well as Jazmine. Besides from his routine of sleep, eat, change and cry, the young parents could see that he was slowly growing. His big blue eyes have already started to show signs if pure curiosity. When he was awake he would look at everything around him. He especially seems to be interested in hair. He would spend most of his time looking at everyone's hair, especially since no one around him had the same hair. Jazmine had an orange mane, Huey had his larger than life afro and Riley with his classic cornrows which was freshly done, courtesy of his girlfriend. He would spend most of his time just watching their hair and they knew by no time he would be having a fist full of their hair in his hands and that was something they was not looking forward to.
"Do you think he's grown? Like has he gotten taller or put on more weight?" Jazmine asked from the backseat of Huey's car, sitting next to Malcolm who had finally settled. He was still getting used to the car seat so he would cry and fuss when they would put him in.
"Height? Maybe not. Weight? Possibly. Remember you said a lot of women claimed their babies put on weight quickly once they started breast feeding."
She started to think back to all the things she researched, specifically breast feeding and nodded when she remembered what she read. "Yeah you right. He was already a good weight when he was born, he should definitely be getting bigger soon. Isn't that right Mally?" Jazmine turned to her son who just looked at her as he sucked on his pacifier. "You're gonna be a big boy but hopefully you don't get too big so quickly because I got a lot of cute clothes for you to try on."
Huey shook his head from the driver seat as he listened to Jazmine baby talk Malcolm just as they pulled up to the hospital. "We should just carry the car seat, setting up the stroller will just make things longer." Jazmine agreed and they did just that. She grabbed the baby bag while he grabbed the car seat and the two walked inside. Huey set the car seat down in front of them as they waited for their turn to see the doctor. Jazmine couldn't help but look around the room. All the other people in the room were obviously older than them. Some even had an older child with them and she could see some wedding bands. Then here she was, 18 and not married.
She was always the girl that had her life planned out from when she was a little girl. She would meet her perfect man that matched all the qualities she could think of, they would go on cute dates and trips, he would do a romantic proposal and she would spend months on end being a bridezilla to make sure everything was perfect. Once they were married, she would have a dream job, with her dream house, her dream husband and have her dream children. It was the perfect romantic novel but times changed. The moment she met her neighbour, things were never the same and she was sort of glad it happened this way. It gave her life more excitement. Now she didn't expect to be so young when her life started skipping stones but she was slowly coming to terms with her new life. She had some belief that she could do this young mother thing especially with the amazing support system she had. She knew and Huey knew that without their support system, these next few months were going to be hard. When Huey goes off to college, it was just going to become more challenging. He would spend some days in college and some days at work while she looked after Malcolm full time for the first year of his life.
She hoped Huey didn't miss any or at least not a lot of special moments such as when Malcolm takes his first steps and his first word. Huey deserved to witness these milestones happen, it was his son too and as much as his nonchalant self would look on the outside, she knows he would be bursting with pride when these moments happened.
Jazmine looked down at the car seat and saw her son drifting off into sleep with the pacifier still in his mouth which she didn't want to happen. 'I should've held him so he stayed awake, we should be going in soon.'
"Malcolm Freeman."
The two heard their sons name being called just as Malcolm got into a comfortable sleep. "Oh no, he is not going to be too happy to be woken up." Jazmine spoke to Huey who picked up the car seat.
"No he is not."
They walked side by side towards the room they were directed to and stepped inside. It was a standard doctor's room that was spacious and had different equipment everywhere.
"Good afternoon Jazmine and Huey, I hope you don't mind having a student midwife accompanying us today." Jazmine's midwife, Odetta, asked them. The older black woman had the same warm smile she gave the couple whenever she saw them and it was still so comforting for them to see, it made the process a little easier to bare especially since it could all be overwhelming.
"Yeah sure, it's fine." Jazmine softly smiled back, being polite. She looked over at the other figure in the room that had their back turned and saw they had short blonde hair.
"Great. Vicky, meet Jazmine, Huey and their son, Malcolm. Who is about to be very upset to be woke up from his nap." Odetta chucked as she looked down at the car seat with the sleeping baby.
'Vicky?'
'Jazmine?'
As Vicky turned around, Jazmine got a good look at the student. She had brown eyes and fair skin. Jazmine knew who the student midwife was.
"Vicky Sullivan?" Jazmine questioned out loud with a raised eyebrow.
Huey and the midwife looked at the two back and forth, confused about what was happen.
"Jazmine Dubois? Wow I didn't expect this."
"You two know each other?" Odetta stepped in to ask.
Jazmine nodded. "You can say that... whenever there was them fancy dinners or charity stuff that my parents would drag me to, we would occasionally bump into each other."
"Yup. You know, I heard the rumours but didn't really believe it until I got showed pictures. Who would've thought I would be here at your appointment straight after you gave birth?" The blonde asked with a smile on her face.
Huey slowly raised his eyebrow at the other girl in the room who had just made things awkward. She really didn't have to do that but she did and now he just wanted to leave.
Odetta cleared her throat to get everyone back on track. "Well, let's get started shall we."
Jazmine took a deep breath, glad that they could move on from that weird moment. The last thing she needed was someone close to her parent's circle saying things about her and her son. She should've checked who the student was before she said yes. "Ok let's start."
They sat in the chairs next to the desk as Odetta started typing on the computer while Vicky sorted some stuff out in the back.
"Alright... how has things been so far?"
"Well, where to start?" Jazmine lightly joked with an eye roll. "Eat, sleep, cry, poop, repeat. Heaving on the crying around 6pm which is usually when he has his biggest feed. He just be eating like crazy. It seems like if he's really sleepy or hungry, he won't have the bottle and just wants breast and loves screaming in the early morning. Good thing our roommates are deep sleepers." She summarised.
Odetta let out a short laugh. "Seems like Malcolm knows what he likes already."
"I know, it's so weird to me and he even seems interested in hair. He stares at it most of the time."
"Seems like a bright young man in the making. How is he sleeping? Does he sleep with you or in a Moses basket or cot?"
"Some nights with us, some nights in his cot but we're extra careful when he's with us. We barely sleep actually because we're making sure he's not suffocating or overheating." Jazmine explained while Huey just gave a supportive nod. Summer had just started so the temperature was only going to rise which is why they had to make sure Malcom was in a comfortable temperature.
Odetta smiled. She was proud to hear the young parents were doing well so far. She knew babies were never easy and for a young couple fresh out of high school to be parents was not going to be any easier. She really wished them all the best and couldn't wait to see them grow. They were already very mature at their age but then again she guessed they had to grow up faster than people their age. Jazmine had the natural care of a mother while Huey had the supportive father on lock. Jazmine had the details and Huey nodded along, only coming in when necessary. They dynamic was only going to grow from there.
"That's good that you're looking out for them things. I think we should do the tests now which I know Malcolm is not going to be happy about."
Huey reached down towards the car seat and unbuckled the belt that kept him securely strapped in. He then slowly and carefully pulled the baby out, trying not to wake him but it didn't work. His pacifier fell out his mouth and he was starting to wake up when he felt movement as Huey worked on taking off his clothes so he could get weighed.
Huey walked towards the scale with Jazmine right next to him just as Malcolm began to fuss.
"Aww Mally." Jazmine stepped on the other side of Huey so she could stand where Malcolm's head was resting on Huey's arm. She pulled his hat off, exposing his fiery hair and gave him soft kisses to try and calm him down a little.
"Vicky what can you tell me about this baby?" Odetta asked, going into teaching mode.
She cleared her throat and started to spit out the notes she remembered reading from the chart when they were all talking. "Malcolm Josiah Freeman, born June 14th at 9:03pm from natural vaginal birth. He weighted 8 pound 13 ounces and at the length of 17.8 inches. All checks after birth were clear and normal, no concerns which was why he was discharged from the hospital the next day."
Odetta nodded before calling Vicky over. "Alright, come help me weigh him and measure his head and length."
Huey and Jazmine stepped aside to allow the midwife and midwife in training to do what they needed to do with their son who was trying to go back to sleep but obviously couldn't because he was being moved around which was slowly making him upset which they saw happening.
"Ok, he's now 9 pounds on the dot, and only grown an inch." Odetta spoke out loud before checking over the baby some more. "Umbilical cord has fallen off and looks healthy, no signs of infection... No signs of jaundice either. Now we're going to do the blood spot test." She explained to the people in the room before grabbed the equipment she needed and a pair of gloves, Vicky following suit. "Ok Vicky, just like you've done before." Odetta stood slightly to the side to allow Vicky to do the test herself which made Huey and Jazmine nervous which the older midwife saw. "She has performed this procedure many times before. Jazmine, why don't you prepare yourself for your own tests?"
Jazmine took a quick glance at the midwife before looking back at her son who was pink, indicating he was about to cry. "Alright." She turned to Huey. "He should be hungry now."
He nodded. "I'll keep Malcolm calm until you've finished your tests." He told her since they didn't bring no milk out with them, not really expecting to be out for so long.
Odetta walked over to Jazmine to take her blood as Vicky made sure the blood taken from Malcolm was correctly labelled so Huey went and grabbed the fussing baby. He picked his son up, making sure his head was supported and instantly kissed him, trying to give him some type of comfort. Jazmine loved seeing Huey being affectionate with their son. It made her wonder if Chrisitan was ever this affectionate with Huey. When she first met him, he was not big on affection at all but with her, he let her slide and she knew he loved their moments together just as much as she did, even if those moments were becoming the bare minimum since she gave birth. Maybe Malcolm was the piece he was missing, to get in touch with his affectionate side more. It was sweet to witness more of this side of Huey Freeman.
The midwife started up the blood pressure test before turning to Vicky, handing her the vial of Jazmine's blood. "Take this and Malcolm's to the labs please and then meet me in the office. I should be finished here soon so no need for you to come back."
Vicky nodded before turning to Jazmine. "It was nice to see you again Jazmine. Congrats, you have a beautiful son. I look forward to seeing you at the next event." She waved before walking out the room.
Jazmine waved back before letting out a breath as the girl shut the door and left the room. "Whew. I hate to sound rude but I couldn't wait until she left. I know she's a student but I did not want to say anything she could relay around other people that know my parents."
"Oh if that was a problem, I could've sent her away before." Odetta told her but Jazmine quickly shut her down.
"No no. It's fine. She's a student, I didn't want her to miss out on doing this. It's fine."
"If you say so... anyway, I was meant to ask where did you pick the name Malcolm from? I always ask my patients about their baby's name. It's just exciting and sweet to hear." Odetta politely asked and Jazmine was more than happy to explain.
"Well Huey's full name is Huey Percy Freeman, named after-"
"Huey Percy Newton, co-founder of the Black Panther party." She finished off.
Jazmine nodded. "Right! He told me that his father named him because it was someone he admired which Huey actually admires now. He even quoted Newton for his year book quote which is very him to do. So, he wanted to name his son after another significant black figure so went with Malcolm."
"So if you have another son, are you going to name him Martin?" Odetta slightly joked, looking over to Huey as Jazmine did the same, wanting to see what his answer would be.
Huey shrugged. "Maybe."
"Trust me, I do not want to think of any baby names unless it is for someone else right now. Now for his middle name Josiah... I just kept seeing it everywhere. I liked it before but then I started testing it with his first name before people knew what it was and it just worked I guess." Just as she finished talking, Malcolm let out a loud cry which indicated he wanted food now. He couldn't hold it in any longer. Huey had tried his best to keep the baby calm but he wanted what he wanted. "Sorry, do you mind if I breast feed in here? We stupidly didn't bring a bottle out with us." She politely asked.
Odetta gave her a look. "Now why would you ask? If you need to feed your baby, feed your baby, no need to ask." She told her. "And don't be afraid to do it in public either. People are too damn nosy nowadays, sticking their nose in other people's business. I never understood why they have problems with feeding a child in public." She shook her head. "It baffles me and I encourage all mothers to breast feed wherever they are, don't be ashamed for taking care of your baby."
Jazmine nodded, taking the advice she was given and started to feed Malcolm who was more than happy that he was now eating. She took a deep breath as she stroked his cheek.
"How have you been feeling Jazmine? Mentally. Physically, you seem to be doing alright, blood pressure is a little low which can easily be dealt with, even by drinking more fluids but I want to know how you are mentally. It is always important to talk about how you're feeling, for new mothers and mothers already. It is such a big change you're going through so how have you been?"
Jazmine didn't know why she wasn't prepared for that question because it was kind of obvious it was to be asked but she wasn't sure how she should answer the question. She had been asked a lot of times over the past few days if she was okay but truth be told, she wasn't completely sure. Huey has been trying to reach out to her but she could feel herself pulling away from him, even if it wasn't intentional.
"I mean... it has been rough." She took another deep breath, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill out already when she just started talking. "I don't know why but I keep getting these thoughts about me being a bad mother, not one that Malcolm deserves. Not being a good enough girlfriend for Huey anymore. I mean, I don't even let him touch me anymore. I keep flinching whenever he tries but I don't mean to. Then there's times when I don't even want to hold Malcolm, especially when he won't stop crying. I hand him over to Huey and usually leave the room. What kind of mother does that? I'm supposed to be the one that runs to his side whenever he is crying and calm him down but instead, I go the opposite direction. I feel as if he hates me already but will only come back to me because he knows where his milk supply is." Jazmine couldn't hold the tears back any longer and started to cry. "Why could I just be the glowing mom after she just gave birth?"
Odetta reached out cautiously and laid a hand on Jazmine's hand who allowed her to do so. "Jazmine. It's ok. It sounds as if you have Baby Blues, which is normal for woman to go through the next few days after giving birth due to the hormonal change your body has taken on. However, I am slightly concerned that you are already experiencing signs of postnatal depression, which is serious if left unsupported. I want you to know you're not alone Jazmine. From the day I've met you, you have told me so much about the amazing friends and family you have around you. Even all the visitors you had when you gave birth. Your parents, Huey's grandfather and brother, your friends. You have a lot of people in your corner who I know are willing to help you." She then pointed over the Huey. "Huey is right here next to you and I'm sure he has been a wonderful help with Malcolm which probably surprised you too." Jazmine couldn't help but nod as she wiped her tears at that because it was true. Huey's actions were surprising but not too much. It was surprising at how affectionate he could be to someone who wasn't his girlfriend but it wasn't because he is a good man and was going to step up anyway. "Always remember you have people you can turn to. If you feel any worse, call your doctor. Don't let the issue bother you, it will always make things worse. You're not a bad mother, no matter what anyone says. You may not think it but you have paid a lot of attention to that baby than most older parents I have seen. He's just over a week old and you already told me his preferred feed and what he seems interested in, I applaud you. Keep your head held high Jazmine. You're doing great."
That speech was something Jazmine needed to hear and Huey was glad someone got her to listen. When he tried to tell her, she was brush it off and could easily walk away from the conversation but here, she had to listen to someone else tell her what she needed to hear to her face. He never thought he would research so much about pre- and post-labour but he had and what Odetta told Jazmine was what he read. He wanted to help her the best way he can but even by reading what to do he wasn't sure. He felt selfish for hoping it was only baby blues and nothing else but for once he felt as if he wouldn't know what to do if it was post-natal depression. Then again, he wouldn't be the one suffering, it would be Jazmine and he didn't want to see her suffer.
"Thank you... I know Huey has been trying to tell me this but I have been too stubborn to listen." Jazmine started out with a sigh. "It's just one of those times when you don't believe anything anyone says to you but I need to start listening. I love my son and I will do everything in my power to make sure he knows that. I'm going to be by his side basically every day for the next year before I go to college and I wanted to be able to spend every moment showing him unconditional love that will only continue to grow. I promise." She whispered. She wanted Malcolm to hear that part specifically as it was directed to him.
Odetta couldn't help the smile on her face. She was really watching this young girl grow in front of her. It was going to be upsetting when she no longer needed her service but hopped that she would still keep in touch every now and then, she really wanted to see how they would get on and there weren't many patients she would think that about. She knew Malcolm was very lucky with the parents he had, they were going to take good care of him. "That's the confidence I want to hear coming from you. Remember to always talk about how you feel, even when you feel as if you don't want to, try Jazmine. You're a strong girl, well woman I should say. Believe in yourself always just like how you did just now."
"She's right Jazmine." Huey jumped in much to their surprise. "I'm always here when you need me, you know I always listen."
"That's all you do. You say like one sentence after the paragraphs I tell you." She joked and all he could do was smirk.
"Still doesn't mean I'm not paying attention to what you're saying. We've been doing this since we first met, you talk, I add my one or two lines, you go again. That's how we work, only this time, I want to actually have you talk my ear off, if you don't, I know there's a problem." He told her seriously but with a hint of humour at the same time.
Jazmine nodded, taking in everything she was told. The constant reminder that she had people around her was playing in her head. Now, she knew that was true but in the next few months, her friends were not going to be in close proximity. She would have no close friends, besides Royalty, around her age once summer ended and that scared her but she didn't want to think about that now, she would get there when it came.
"Thank you. You are honestly the best midwife I could ever wish for. You sort of remind me of Huey's great aunt but younger, her name is Cookie. The knowledge and caring vibe I get from you both is so comforting for me."
"She sounds like a wise woman."
"She really is and I've only met her once. I definitely have to have you as the midwife to my future, far future children." Any time Huey or Jazmine mentioned having any other children they had to add how far along it would be until they had another one, well at least until they finished college. They didn't even start and were already on their first. Next time around they wanted to be mature and have more stability than they had now. Sure, Jazmine still had the money her parents kept in an account for her and the 'pocket' money they would give her and the money Huey had saved from what he got from his parents but they wanted to have their own working wages before extending their family any further. That was the ideal plan for them. "I cannot thank you enough for what you have done for us."
"Jazmine, stop thanking me for what I dedicated my life to do. Women like you is what keeps me grounded and working. I will miss you." Odetta shared a smile with the new mother as Huey took the sleeping baby and placed him in the car seat, glad he didn't wake from his nap even though he was now in the car seat.
"I will miss you too Odetta, I will send you pictures of his progress."
"Fine by me! I love receiving pictures and cards."
The two women stood and shared a tight and needed hug. Jazmine picked up the baby bag while Huey picked up the car seat, making their way out to get into the car. Jazmine sat in the back with the car seat as she watched Malcolm sleep peacefully in the car seat, it was still crazy that this was her son. "I'm sorry."
Huey looked up through the mirror to look at Jazmine who locked eyes with her through the mirror. "What for?"
"Ignoring you. Not letting you touch or hold me, no matter how much we both wanted to."
"Jazmine you don't need to apologise for that."
"I feel like I do. You didn't deserve that."
"I'm not worried about myself... I was worried about you. You shouldn't be saying sorry to me because you're going through something that a lot of women go through. It's not your fault."
"But I feel like it is." It was almost as if everything she said early had gone out the window and it was literally only a few seconds ago.
"Jazmine, I will continue to remind you, nothing is your fault. Stop putting everything on yourself when you don't need to okay? Just take a few deep breaths." He told her as he pulled up to the house.
She did as he said and took deep breaths. She really needed to start listening because she was hearing the same thing over and over again and then eventually, she was going to get annoyed with hearing it and start ignoring it when she shouldn't. "Alright, I will try."
When they finally got back home, they stepped out the car, grabbing what they needed and headed inside, Huey walking in first. "I need to go to the mall so I'll bring Malcolm upstairs and put him in his cot." Huey told her.
"That's fine, I'm going to take a nap with him so I can have energy for when we go to the Caesar's later." Since the family were leaving tomorrow, they decided to host a little get together before their travels which basically just considered of Michael's friends. "While you're out, can you find him more summer hats for him. I remembered when we talking at the appointment and I only brought one and was going to look online but since you're going out you can check. If you can't find any I will just look online."
Before he could reply, Royalty and Riley walked downstairs. He was shirtless with one of his old basketball shorts on and a red durag while she had her own shorts under Riley's old basketball jersey that matched the shorts he was wearing and a red bonnet. It seemed as if the two were trying to get as much alone time as possible before she left because she has never arrived so early to his house before. Huey was surprised her uncle even let her leave from how stressed out everything seemed when he talked to Caesar, then again, he was staying at Cindy's as well.
"Hey guys, how did the appointment go?" Royalty was the first to asked once they met in the living room. They decided to stop there first to have a quick conversation with each other before doing what they said they were going to do.
"It was good. They said he's healthy. We did some blood tests which should come back in a couple of days but everything is fine."
"That's good." Royalty grinned. "Glad my nephew and baby mama are alright." She pouted as she looked at the sleeping baby.
"Girl don't worry about them. Today is about me and you so let's just get the water bottles and go for another round." Riley flirted as if no one else was around.
"Have you no shame?" Huey asked in disgust.
Royalty shook her head. "Don't worry about him. He's just trying to have me all to himself as if we're never going to see each other again."
He smacked his lips together. "You never know if your parents decided to keep you there forever."
"They wouldn't do that."
"Ok..."
"Stop thinking so negatively Riley. She will come back." Jazmine told him.
"Thank you Jazmine."
She smiled. "Welcome." She then picked up the baby bag once again so Huey followed suit with picking up the car seat to carry it upstairs for her. "I am going to go sleep before later so please keep your rounds as quiet as you can please. I don't need my baby hearing those types of noises, especially as young as he is. Poor baby won't even know what is happening."
"Shitttt the way I lay down the pipe I know sh- ow! Girl why you doing that?" Riley asked when he felt a backhand on his chest.
"Dem nah need fi know dat." She spoke in Patois. She missed talking in her original tongue 24/7 and couldn't wait to speak fluently when she was back on her island. You could tell she was excited because it was as strong as when she first arrived to Woodcrest. As time went on, her accent had adapted to the African American way, mostly because of Huey and Riley's Chicago influence and Caesar's New York influence but still with her Caribbean twist in the way she talked. Riley was just attracted to whatever came out of her mouth. "Don't worry about him."
"Trust me, I'm not." Huey said with a scowl. "I was going to invite him to the mall with me but never mind. I see he's... busy." He didn't want to say because he didn't need to think of the two youngsters together in a very intimate way.
"Shiittt get a nigga some-"
"You ain't coming so don't ask." Huey cut off his brother before walking up the stairs towards his room, Riley and Royalty following behind to go back to the room they just came from. He would've liked someone else's opinion while he was out so he guessed he should ask Hiro to tag along, hopefully he was free.
Huey: You free? Wanna go to the mall to pick some stuff up before going to the Caesar's.
Hiro: Damn, it's like you read my mind. See you in 15?
Huey: Done.
Huey placed his phone back into his pocket before helping Jazmine get their son comfortable in his cot. He was glad when the baby didn't even stir because he knew the last thing Jazmine needed was an awake baby when she wanted to sleep. Hopefully by the time he came back home, Malcolm was just waking up so then he could help her.
"I'll see you when I get back alright. Rest. If you need help, ask Royalty or if you're desperate, ask Riley."
Jazmine giggled before slipping on some shorts after she took off the clothes she went outside in. "Alright. I will use Riley as a last resort. Have fun at the mall." She thought it was sort of strange that he was willingly going there but she guessed times were really changing. "Don't be too long now." She told him as she started to drift off to sleep already.
"I don't even want to be out long." He mumbled to himself before making his way towards his car.
"Boy!" He heard coming from the kitchen. He sighed and turned to walk into the direction of his 'name' being called. By the fridge stood his grandfather in a dressing gown looking inside. "Where the hell is my orange juice? Damn you niggas are drinking my shit." He turned to Huey. "Nigga while you're out, get me some of my juice."
Huey raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that what you called me in here for?"
"Yes! You have a problem with that? If you do I'll beat your ass so you have a different problem to focus on." He threated. "Just because you got a baby now doesn't mean you're all the way grown."
Huey never understood why his grandfather always resulted in ass whooping for simple reasons like that. It wasn't until his parents were killed that their grandfather ever laid a hand on them to keep them in check. He remembered hearing him tell Cookie that he only beat him and his brother to keep them in line so that they didn't act out just because their parents died. That still didn't stop Riley. It wasn't until he got older that his behaviour got a little better but that didn't mean he still wasn't as bad as his 8-year-old self.
"I'll be back in an hour or so." He turned and finished his short journey back towards his car. As he got inside he pulled out his phone to text Hiro to say he was on his way to the mall.
Once he arrived, he managed to find a parking space right next to Hiro's car who was waiting for Huey to arrive. They both got out and greeted each other before making their way inside.
"So what brings you to the mall today?" Hiro asked once they got inside the building. Huey never went to the mall for pleasure, it was always for a reason so he waited for Hiro to choose a store first.
"Jazmine's not been feeling herself lately since Malcolm arrived. She's just been sad and worried all the time. I wanted to treat her a little so I'm going to buy her some stuff."
Hiro pouted when he heard Huey's reason. "Aww Hueeyyy! You do have a heart."
"I should've just come on my own." Huey shook his head disappointedly. "Why am I still friends with you guys?" He asked rhetorically.
"Because you love us and wouldn't be able to breathe without us." Hiro answered anyway as they went into a technology store he wanted to check out.
"You're going off to college, I will still be living even when you're gone."
"I mean, not as much." Hiro shrugged. "I feel bad. We're all leaving you and Jazmine behind in Woodcrest. I mean before, it wouldn't have been so bad because we all would be moving out of state but you two are staying here while we move away from you. It doesn't feel right."
"You're saying it like you had anything to do with us staying here." He sighed as they walked out the shop and onto the next. "I know you guys know how much I was dying to move to Chicago but I'll be fine. You guys go off to Atlanta and Florida, Jazmine and I will make it work here. Even then, if we decided to move Chicago once we're done with college, Malcolm will be five which means he would be ready to start school."
"Damn, we talking about school already for nephew." Hiro couldn't believe that they were talking about Malcolm going to preschool when he just came out the womb. They all knew that in no time the boy would be talking, walking and then off to school.
"I know... it's weird." Huey even thinking about it now was a shock. When they found out Jazmine was pregnant, Chicago was out the question. Sure they had aunt Cookie's support but he didn't want to uproot Jazmine to a city she had never been before in a time she would need her parents the most. At least now with her gap year, Malcolm could grow around his grandparents and great grandfather. "Let's just go in here." He pointed over to Footlocker and the two made their way into the store.
They got inside and started looking around. Hiro had gone over to look at the clothes while Huey stayed by the sneakers section. He saw the sneakers that she liked on Twitter so picked them up. He looked around to try and find one of the workers and saw one that was staring at him but he didn't pay much attention to it.
"Excuse me." He called her over. A smile crept on her face as she made her way towards him.
"Hi, my names Aaliyah, how can I help you today?" She asked him routinely but Huey didn't notice the flirtatious twist she added to it. She was a beautiful girl that only looked a few years older than he was with her hair slicked down with not a hair out of place.
"Can I get these in size 5?" He requested just as Hiro started to walk over to where he was standing.
Aaliyah looked Huey up and down slowly, confused. "5? Sir I can tell you are not size 5."
Hiro had heard this and decided to save Huey. "Oh them sneakers are nice, if only junior was a little older, you could've gotten him a mommy and son pair. That would've been adorable but Jazzy will definitely like these."
Aaliyah face dropped when she heard what Hiro said. She hoped that he was just some crazy guy who was just trying to get involved in their conversation but with the look they gave each other, she knew they were friends. "Oh well, we do have junior sizes."
"He doesn't even wear shoes yet, it's fine." Hiro dismissed her.
"So, size 5?" Huey requested again, handing the shoe out for her to take.
With a sour face, she nodded and grabbed the shoe. "Size 5. I will be right back." She turned and made her way to the back room to get what Huey wanted, annoyed and embarrassed about what happened. It was only when she left that Huey understood what just happened.
"Damn, that was embarrassing." Hiro commented once she walked away which Huey nodded in agreement. "Anyway, I remembered you saying that Jazmine told you to buy Malcolm a sun hat so I found some cute bucket hats." He held up the items in his hands which Huey just noticed. There were three colours, dark blue, white and black Nike bucket hats that seemed to be the right size or at least a little big for Malcolm and Huey actually liked them.
"Thanks." He took the hats out of Hiro's hand and held onto it as he waited for Jazmine's sneakers to come. Once Aaliyah came back she avoided eye contact with him, especially once she saw the baby hats he added to his purchase, confirming Hiro's comment. He paid for his items and made his way to the next store which Hiro wanted to go to next. That was the first time a girl has flirted with him and he, well, Hiro, used he has a girl and a son to get them to back off. Just thinking about them made him want to go home quicker so he wanted to wrap up his little trip up quickly. Hopefully they got what they needed quickly.
"Pacifier?"
"Check."
"Bottles?"
"Check."
"Bottle with milk inside."
"Check."
"Blanket?"
"Check."
"Spare clothes?"
"Check."
"5 to 6 diapers?"
"Check."
"Bibs?"
"Check."
"Are we forgetting something?"
"No... wait, wipes!" Jazmine quickly collected the last item and put it inside the baby bag. They were ready to leave to go to the Caesar's house and just had to double check they had everything they needed before leaving. When Huey arrived home, Jazmine was still sleeping so he managed to hide the items so he could give it to her at a different time. He didn't come back empty handed however because then that would just look suspicious so he made sure she saw some other stuff he got. "This is his first time being anywhere that was not here or the hospital. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous." Jazmine admitted.
"We can just bring him home if it's too much for him. We don't have to stay all night. It's not like we have to drag Riley home because he's staying the night with Cindy." Huey told her. Riley and Cindy were basically trying to get the last few moments with their girlfriend and boyfriend so they decided to stay the night at the Caesar's and follow them to the airport before coming back. The family were leaving at 5am despite their plane being scheduled at 1pm so it saved them time really.
"Alright, the latest we leave is 9 or 10."
"Fine by me."
Jazmine picked up the dressed and adorable Malcolm who was peacefully sucking on his pacifier. "Let's go."
Huey went and picked up the car seat and baby bag. They didn't want Malcolm to be in the car seat any longer than he needed to because he still was trying to get used to being in one so Jazmine just held him until they were ready to leave leave.
"Riley!" Huey called his brother's name as he made his way down the steps.
"Coming nigga!" He shouted back. He started making his way down the steps with Royalty right behind him both now ready too.
"I'm really not used to Riley with a different hairstyle." Jazmine smiled in disbelief as she looked at the boy.
"I know but I like it. I'm definitely going to give him more styles than just the classic cornrows when I come back." Royalty agreed with a grin on her own face.
Riley turned towards the mirror smirking at himself. "Yeah a nigga looks good don't he?" Royalty decided to give him single plaits which reasted on shoulder. She wanted to put beads at the ends of his hair but he said it was gay and fought her off.
"Jazzy can you do me a favour? While I'm gone, when he next takes out his hair, remind him to get a trim before doing his hair again. His hair is growing unevenly." Royalty asked.
"Sure. I will drag this one to get his afro trimmed too. It's long past due." Jazmine agreed as she referred to Huey standing next to her.
"You know niggas can hear you right?" Riley stepped in to say.
"Good, that means you're listening. Now remember, hair trim is due soon."
"Yeah yeah whatever."
Huey cleared his throat, trying to get everyone back on track. "I think it's time we start heading out before it's too late."
"McHater the sun is still up, whatchu mean late?" Riley looked at him as if he was crazy.
"I have a newborn who sleeps all types of hours to think about it. Let's go." He said sternly.
Riley held his hands up in defence. "Damn nigga relax."
Huey got back into the car for the third time that day but this time with his brother next to him, already connecting his phone to play music. "Don't play none of your dumb shit Riley."
"All my songs are fire, ion know what you talking about." He turned to look at the car seat in the back. "Malcolm, I want you to listen closely to what I'm playing because you're going to need to remember these lyrics." He told the baby even though he wasn't even paying attention and couldn't even see his uncle.
"Riley don't corrupt my child."
"I'm not corrupting him, I'm teaching him."
"Debatable."
"To you."
After that, they all just decided to sit in silence and enjoy the rest of the journey. By the time they got to the Caesar's house, they could already see Hiro and Cindy's car parked outside, meaning they were the last ones to arrive. Like routine, Huey got out and carried the car seat while Jazmine grabbed the baby bag and made their way inside behind the younger teens.
"Heeeyyy!" Royalty greeted as she walked inside.
Everyone came towards the door and started to greet each other.
"Oh Jazmine congrats on giving birth!" Caesar's mother, Keisha, grinned at her. "Caesar told me all about your waters breaking at graduation."
Jazmine smiled back and nodded. "Yeah it was a very dramatic way to official end high school and painful one too."
"Girlll don't get me started. The boys put me through so much up and downs throughout the whole pregnancy and birth. I'm just glad they're all healthy and alive."
"I get exactly what you mean." Jazmine agreed. She honestly never thought she would see the day where her teenage self could relate to an older, married mother that had four children, one that was actually the same age as her. It just goes to show how quickly things could change. "I only used gas and air. I was too scared for an epidural. Half way through pushing, I regretted not taking it but soon, Malcolm was out."
"I completely relate. I wanted to try and have Moses without epidural but it was too painful. I had to get it done."
"Mom, our guest doesn't need your birthing stories." Caesar came over to try and push his mother away from Jazmine but she just swapped him away, making the guest laugh at Caesar's flinching and dodging her hits.
"Don't be in grown folks business."
"Huh?" He looked at her confused. "Bu- but I'm older than Jazmine?"
"She's 10 times more mature than you." She pushed him to the side before looking at the giggling Jazmine. "Now, will I be able to see Malcolm. I didn't expect you to bring him but I am glad you did, I also heard he has very interesting features."
Jazmine nodded. "Sure. Huey brought him into the living room." Once she said that, the two women started walking in the same direction while also ignoring Caesar. "I brought him with me because I didn't want him to be left with other people besides his parents so early. Grandad said he doesn't want to hold Malcolm until he can hold his own neck and my parents are working." She sort of lied. To be honest, she had no idea what her mother was up to these days. She was really trying to live her best divorce life it seemed. Then there was her father who was definitely at work, as always. "And he sure does have interesting features. Everyone is just amazed by it."
She sat down next to Huey who already had the baby in his arms.
"Wow, he's adorable." Melissa said as she looked over the newborn. "I actually forgot babies can come out this big."
"Big? I say he's about average size." Jazmine shrugged.
Caesar's father, Tony, lightly chuckled. "It's probably because of how small her brother was when he was born. He was a premature."
"Oh right, I remember. I am so glad he is okay now."
He snorted. "That boy is more than okay, he is crazy!"
"Well lil nigga is finna be crazy too! Having his gangster uncle showing him the ropes and all." Riley laughed as he stepped in front of Huey to get a better look of Malcolm.
The scowl Huey was giving his brother was deadly. He didn't know why Riley was so adamant with corrupting his child to be like him. He wondered why he couldn't just wait until it was his time to have his own child to raise them whatever way he wanted but he guessed since Malcolm was already here, he was just waiting to have someone to follow his way. All he knew was if Riley corrupted his son, Huey sure as hell was going to corrupt his son. It was only fair. Then he would have no choice but to straighten his act whenever his son would drop knowledge at his feet. Yeah, he was surely going to do that if needs be. As for now, he needed to keep Riley's influence to a minimal.
"Don't set the poor, innocent baby up for failure already Riley." Hiro begged him.
"Nigga being a real nigga isn't failure! It's successes."
"Debatable." Huey mumbled under his breath but Riley heard.
"Watchu say nigga?"
Royalty decided it was time for her to step in. "Alright alright, relax Reezy. Damn did I do your hair too tight or something?" She questioned. "You really said new hair, who dis?"
"Nah, this is just how a really nigga stay."
"Yeah yeah, leave your nephew alone." She proceeded to drag him away to the other side of the room so they could just sit and talk. Caesar and Hiro proceeded to play with the music while everyone else engaged in all different types of conversations. Jazmine actually took the time to play with Caesar's younger siblings to try and practice how to interreact with children in their age groups, trying to figure out how she could interact for when her son reaches the same age.
Riley had his arm around Royalty while she had a leg resting on his. They knew they couldn't be too touchy because her uncle and aunt was present and despite them being fine with their relationship, they still had to respect boundaries.
"So you never told me what you're going to get up to while you're out there." He told her.
She shrugged. "I do what I usually do. Chill with my family and friends. Go beach, waterpark, rivers, parties, or just stay at home. Mi excittedddd." She clapped her has to demonstrate her excitement for flying out the states the following day. She sure was going to enjoy her time out there.
"Mannn if only my grandad wasn't a hater, I could've joined you out there."
"Well whenever you're ready, we will go but to a hotel and only two weeks for you. You won't be able to handle where I am staying or for as long as I am going to be out there."
"What? You doubt a real nigg-"
"Noboda start." She cut him off, her accent shining through. He was so attracted to the way she naturally spoke it was crazy, it made him think back to when they first met.
15-year-old Riley had officially been in high school for a month and he was soaking up every moment of it while also making sure to leave his mark everywhere he went. It was only right that they got a taste of Reezy.
"Sup baby, how you doing?" He lightly nodded towards a small group of girls, letting his Chicago accent seep through as he flirted with them. The girls giggle and turned towards each other, probably talking about how cute he was. As he walked further down the hall way, he saw a girl standing by her locker on her own. "Damn she fine." He was sure he had seen her around before, making him wonder why he never made a move on her before. "Excuse me miss." The girl turned around, confused at first before looking slightly up at Riley.
"Oh um hi." You could tell she was mixed race with dead straight hair, making Riley chuckle to himself.
'This is how Mariah been wanting her hair but never could get. That's sad.' He thought.
"I couldn't help but notice how good you look just chilling here but I also notice you looked a lil bored. Here's my number, call me some time." He handed her a slip of paper, winked and then walked away, leaving her speechless.
"Damn, the one and only Reezy strikes again."
Riley turned with a large smirk on his face as he looked at his two friends that was actually the same age as him. There was the afro Latino from a family from Puerto Rico that had curly hair and light brown eyes whose name was Karlous, then there was a brown skin boy with dark brown eyes named Aaron. They all met at basketball try outs and had to play as a mini team which proved to be successful since they all made the team. Since then, whenever Riley wasn't hanging out with his brother and older friends, he was hanging out with them, whether it was at practice or just at the park. They had started a good friendship between them.
"Well you know how a real nigga is." Riley answered smug. He of course got them to start calling Reezy because that's what he wanted everyone to know him by.
"How many numbers have you guys gotten or given since we start?" Aaron asked. "I got about 6."
"I have given about 3 and received 2." Karlous answered.
Riley didn't let the smirk leave his lips. "Shitt a nigga has given 4 times now and received 8 times."
"Damn, how you got energy for all that."
"I don't. I end up deleting or blocking after a day because these girls just not be doing Mr Riley Escobar aka Reezy Freeman justice."
Karlous looked at him confused. "Did you just say Escobar?"
"He really be making up names as he goes along." Aaron laughed, making Karlous laugh too.
Riley looked at them both annoyed. "Nah nah don't be dogging a nigga like that. My government name is Riley Escobar Freeman. That shit says it on my birth certificate."
"Dammnnnn serio?!" Karlous couldn't believe he actually met someone who had Escobar in their name.
"Yeah, my dad named me." He told them.
"Remind me to thank him." He said seriously, still is disbelief that this was real.
Riley hadn't told them that he didn't have living parents. It was too soon, they just became friends, they didn't need to know that part of his life yet. That was going to stay a secret for now.
Luckly, the bell rang for them to head off to lesson after their break which he was actually glad happened.
"Good morning class!" The cheery history teacher greeted as they all took their seats in the class. Karlous and Aaron both had the same lesson with Riley so they decided to sit close to each other at the back. Once everything was settled and the teacher was ready to start, the door opened again. Riley didn't pay attention at first and continued to draw on the piece of paper he had in front of him.
"Ay Reezy." Aaron whispered to him, trying to get his attention to his distracted friend. He needed to see what they were seeing.
"What nigga? She ain't saying shit yet." He shrugged off, thinking his friend was trying to tell him the lesson had started.
"But look."
By the time Riley looked up, the last person to enter the room had their back completely turned to the class. From what he could see, it was a black girl since he could see her hand and the neat box braids she had in her hair. It was easy to spot a person of colour in the school, there still wasn't much of them around despite most of Riley's friends being a person of colour. There was still a lot of Karen's, Kyle's and snow bunnies that are roaming the school and it wasn't a pretty sight.
"Class, I want you to meet Royalty Caesar. She just moved here from Jamaica, isn't that exciting?!" As the teacher greeted her, she turned around and faced the class.
That's when Riley's jaw dropped open. Her skin was smooth, rich and glowing despite the dull class room lights. Her eyes looked as if there was a hint of another colour but he couldn't tell since he was at the back of the classroom. Her lips were full and looked the perfect shape people pay hundreds for and here she was in her natural state. Even though he was only 15, Riley knew, this was a bad ass woman in the making.
"Wait, did she say Caesar? Isn't that your friends last name?" Aaron questioned as he looked at the frozen Riley.
Hearing that made Riley snap back into reality. He completely forgot that Caesar was telling them his little cousin was coming from Jamaica to live with him and start school here. Caesar held off updated pictures of her so he thought it was because she was ugly and looked like a troll. This was far from a troll.
"I think so." Riley mumbled.
Karlous, being the nosy one, decided to ask. "Excuse me." He lifted his hand in the air to ask. Before Riley realised what he was doing, the teacher called on him. "Are you related to Caesar? As in Michael Caesar."
The whole class saw Royalty's eyebrow raise. "Yes, ah mi cousin dat."
The accent. It was nothing like anyone in the classroom had heard before. Many were thinking about how exotic it sounded but that wasn't the word Riley would use to describe it. It was beautiful and sweet even if she only said 5 words. He needed to hear her talk more.
"Well, why don't you take a seat so we can get started." The teacher told her. Royalty nodded and made her way to one of the empty seats near the front and prepared herself for her first history lesson in her new school.
"You didn't say Caesar had a fine cousin?" Karlous lightly slapped Riley on the arm.
Riley sent him a death stare for the slap. "Nigga I never knew. I forgot she was even coming. Caesar barely said shit about her, said he wanted it to be a surprise." He rolled his eyes at his dramatic friend.
"Well, all I know is all these niggas up in this school are going to want her so imma just keep out of it." Aaron leaned back in his chair and faced the board.
Karlous chuckled. "Lil bitch." He whispered before looking at the board too.
Riley tried to focus too but he couldn't, he kept looking at Royalty. He felt crazy, he didn't do this staring shit but he couldn't help himself. He was glad he was close friends with her cousin because he could get her alone when they weren't in school, either way, he needed to find a way to talk to her. He needed to find more about this Royalty Caesar.
From there, that was the first time Riley had ever thought over a girl more than once and after fighting off many other boys, he finally got Royalty to be his girl and he hasn't regretted it since.
"You were mad creepy at the start tho. Just staring and not saying shit." Royalty giggled as they reminisced on the beginning of high school.
"Ain't that what people do when they see beautiful art?" He threw back at her.
Her mouth dropped open in surprised, not expecting to hear that. "You know what... you're so sneaky and a romantic at heart."
"Don't let no nigga know that shit either." He told her jokingly but with some truth behind it.
She rolled her eyes at the statement. "I won't blow your cover, relax."
"Good. Gotta let the streets know I'm still a real nigga."
She giggled before just smiling at Riley. "You're really acting like we're never going to see each other again. I am only going on a not-so-much-of-a-vacation vacation. It's like if you were going to Chicago for the whole of summer. I wouldn't be so upset."
"You know it's not the same." Riley told her as he looked down into his lap. Even if they managed to talk through it since their shopping trip, it was still a sort of problem between them. "I'll still be in the country and ain't no way grandad will leave me in Chicago even if I begged him to. You're on a whole 'nother island away from me. They could really just keep your ass there."
"I know but they won't." She sighed, knowing he was referring to her parents. "Look, my parents sent me over here for a reason. I miss living in Jamaica badly but I will live there again eventually. When you get your fancy NBA deal and I become a doctor, we will start building our own crib out there."
Riley raised an eyebrow at that. "Word?"
"Yup!" She nodded. "We're going to have a pool and multiple bedrooms and a guard dog of course."
"I thought you didn't like dogs." He pointed out.
"I don't but my parents have one so I gotta deal with it. Anyway, stop being a baby and enjoy my company before I'm gone." She held her arms open and with a roll of his eyes, Riley leaned into it, finding comfort in her arms that he always managed to get.
Cindy and Caesar stood in the kitchen sneak eating some of the dessert that wasn't brought out yet. They had only just finished eating the dinner and already they were ready to eat the dessert that was laid out.
"Hmm I love your mom's carrot cake, it's so good!" Cindy commented as she bit into another piece of her slice.
Caesar looked at the corner that the two had already devoured. "Yeah, if she asks, it was only you that ate from here. She won't kill you."
"Wow, you really going to let your girlfriend take the fall."
"I'm calling it reparations." He winked at her, knowing she couldn't argue against that. All she could do was shake her head and laugh. Her boyfriend was honestly crazy.
"So, you guys are just going to sneak eat the dessert and tell no one?" Hiro playful asked as he stepped into the kitchen with Ming by his side.
Caesar quickly finished off his slice of cake before looking at the new comers. "You can't accuse me of a crime if there was no evidence."
"Alright OJ, whatever you say." Ming shrugged. "Got a lil icing on your lip tho."
Cindy burst out into laughter as she watched Caesar wipe his lip as if that was going to help the situation, they were already caught. "Poor Caesar... anyway, what brings you guys in here?"
"We just wanted to see what you guys were getting up to." Ming answered as she took a bite from Cindy's cake. "Hmm so good!"
"Right?!" The two girls shared a smile before they got serious, both suddenly having the same thought at the same time. It had been a while since the four of them had been alone and they needed to talk about college. They were barely spending summer with each other because of family commitments and then after that, they were going to be in different states, far from each other with only the holidays to see each other when they got back to Woodcrest. Even then that wasn't certain now because Ming's parents were thinking about moving once she was settled in college. It was something they needed to at least begin to discuss. It didn't seem like a problem before but as time crept closer, the reality of growing up was scary.
"What's wrong?" Hiro asked as he stood next to Caesar, across from Ming. They didn't even realise that they spilt into who they were going to go to college with.
"So Cindy and I have been talking for a while about the whole college thing and didn't know how to exactly say what we felt." Ming started out.
"What's up? Watchu worried about?" Caesar asked, showing his concern about why his girlfriend got so quiet all of a sudden.
"Well, soon we will be moving across the country for college and away from each other. Making new friends and all that shit. We don't want to lose the friends I have now, I hate leaving Jazzy and dare I say McHater here while we all go especially since they need us more than ever with a new baby." Cindy sighed.
"But we were also concerned with the fact that you guys might find a better girl in Atlanta. I know the girls out there are fine so I wouldn't be surprised if you did."
Caesar and Hiro looked at each other confused but didn't interrupt the girls as they continued to voice their feelings.
"We hear about this shit all the time. A group of friends split up when they go to college, keep in touch for a while, act like everything is great then drift off and become distance from one another because they're too busy to hit each other up and then barely speak again. Shit just be hella awkward from there. Ion like that." Cindy threw her arms up in the air before letting it drop into her lap.
"College finna beat our ass so it's not even like we can fly to each other all the time. Let's not forget when its holidays and everyone comes back to Woodcrest. Where am I gonna go? What if my parents decide to move back to China?"
The boys waited a few seconds to see if their girls had finished what they needed to say before reply back.
"Ok so..." Hiro started out. "First of, Ming. We have been together for 5 years, you really think some distance is going to stop me from loving you as if you were right in front of me? You must be crazy. Just because we're no longer going to be side by side doesn't mean our relationship is going to crumble. I won't let it happen and I sure as hell hope you won't either. These 5 years need to mean something because I want this to be a forever thing." He told her seriously. "Look we may be young but I don't give a fuck. College can already suck my dick if it's making you act like this. We have endless ways of communication, you can never get away from me. Facetime, text message, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter. Shall I continue?" He asked her and she shook her head as an answer. "As for your parents moving, that will just be another long-distance hurdle we will get to when it comes. We can alternate who we spend holidays with if that's what you will like. We spend thanksgiving with my parents and then the Christmas with your parents at wherever they decide to move to, your choice. Anything you pick, we gonna do. You don't need to worry about wondering eyes because all I'm looking at is you Ming." He finished off. You could visibly see how speechless Ming was by the way she was staring at him.
"Well said my brother." Caesar praised as he held out his fist for Hiro to dap.
"Thank you bro."
"Now I guess it's my turn." Caesar pretended to pop his collar which just made Cindy roll her blue eyes at his ways. "So everything my brother said is what I want to say to you only the years of us being together is shorter but it still stands. Our parents ain't moving so we cool on the visiting on holiday part but still, I wanna go off of what he said. No distance is going to get in the way on what we have. With the whole friend thing, you know us, we're not going to let that happen. Huey and Jazmine are still going to get our support from across the country, we're going to make sure of that. We're not like any other group around, I'm sure you know that by now. Now, I don't know why you saying that crazy shit because there is no other girl I want besides you. I'm forreal in this shit with us Cynthia and I hope you don't doubt my ability to love you again because I could never look at another female when I got you. I'm deadass right now."
Cindy almost choked on her own spit at how serious Caesar had turned. It wasn't all the time the cheerful boy was serious. He was like Jazmine in many ways in that area. Whenever he was serious, it was time to take him seriously, there was no playing anymore and she could see in the way he spoke and looked at her he was very serious.
"Look, we just gotta get through these next few years of college and we'll be good. Then, we can start this adult life like no other." Hiro finished off for them both.
Ming and Cindy shared another look before facing their boyfriends. That was all they needed. Reassurance. A lot of people in relationships going through what they were going through now was looking for that reassurance. They needed to know that everything was going to be okay even if they were not in the same state. If they left with things unsaid, it would've caused a lot of problems to happen.
Ming took a deep sigh but then let a smile rest on her lips. "Alright."
Hiro raised an eyebrow at her. "Alright?"
"Alright." She nodded as she walked over and wrapped her arms around his neck. She pressed her lips against his before pulling back. "You don't know how much I needed to hear that."
"I think I do."
Caesar sighed dramatically and held open his arms, indicating towards himself. "Come on, bring it in. I know you want to."
With a roll of her eyes, Cindy walked into Caesar's arms and gave him a kiss. "You're so annoying."
"You're going to miss being around me 24/7 tho." He winked at her. As much as she wanted to deny that, they all knew she would be lying.
"Whatever, let's just go back in there and save Jazmine from being stuck with the Freeman's and that's including Malcolm too."
They laughed but did just that. Cindy took a seat next to Jazmine who was now holding Malcolm in her arms. The baby was just quietly sucking on his pacifier and looking up at Jazmine. From the look of relief on Cindy and Ming's face, she had an idea of what they talked about.
"Everything cool now? You said what you needed to say?"
Cindy nodded. "Yup. They're not leaving us."
Jazmine shoved her friend playfully. "You were being dramatic."
Cindy had to pause and think about who was actually calling her dramatic. "Wait, the Jazmine Aaliyah DuBois is calling me dramatic?!" Her eyes grew wide before she placed the back of her and on her forehead. "Did giving birth knock a few brain cells out or something?" She asked in fake concern.
"Cindy!" Jazmine had to do her best to swat the hand away from her without shaking Malcolm too much and get him mad. "I am fine."
"You sure? You saying some crazy shit."
All of a sudden, Huey leaned forward to direct his next sentence straight at Cindy. "Unlike you, some of us actually have some sense and composure."
"Ain't nobody talking to you McHater." She rolled her eyes at him. "You know what, I am going to kidnap your son." She reached forward and swiftly and carefully grabbed Malcolm out of Jazmine's arms. "You have boring and mean parents. Don't worry, aunty Cindy gottcu."
"I told you many times before to not corrupt my child."
"No one cares about you." Cindy waved him off as she was too focused on her adorable nephew. "Hey Malcolm, its aunt Cindy again! We have the same eeyeesss!"
Huey leaned down and whispered to Jazmine as she watched the two interreact. "So you just not going to tell her that he is about to scream his head off because he's hungry?"
Jazmine shook her head. "Nope... but get the bottle ready." She advised him so he did just that.
Like clockwork, five minutes later Malcolm's pale face slowly started to turn pink and he began to fidget in Cindy's arms. "Oh no Malcolm what's wrong?" She knew he couldn't reply but still asked. It wasn't until he pushed the pacifier out his mouth that he began to cry. Cindy turned and handed him straight back over to his parents. "That's enough aunty Cindy time for today." Without a second glance, she got up and walked over to her boyfriend, making the new parents shake their heads.
"Is this how it's going to be from now on?" She looked up at Huey as she started to feed Malcolm his bottle.
"Yup." He replied casually. He didn't really mind it. He liked his little family to just be to himself and since he was going to be living with his grandfather and brother for a few more years, he wanted as much time with just them as he could get.
Jazmine had finished giving Malcolm his bottle and burped him but after that the baby was just restless. He wouldn't take anything and just cried. She was sort of embarrassed that she couldn't get the boy to stop crying. She was currently in the kitchen with Huey trying to bounce the baby to sleep or at least relaxation when Keisha and Tony walked into the room.
"I'm sorry, I'm in your way." Jazmine apologised as she stepped out of the way.
"Na worry yourself darling." Tony waved her off. When he spoke, he sounded like the perfect blend of Royalty and Caesar. Caesar had the New York accent with droplets of his father's native language while Royalty was straight Jamaican. Tony was right in between from years of living in New York. You could definitely tell Caesar was his child too from the almost identical features and hairstyle.
"He just won't calm down." She sighed as she tried the pacifier again.
"Maybe you should take him home. Everything might be too much for him right now." Keisha suggested.
A light blush formed on her cheeks in embarrassment. "I'm so-"
"Please don't apologise again." Keisha cut her off. "It's alright if you leave now. I need to put the babies to sleep anyway. We have a long day tomorrow. Trust me you won't be missing anything." She rested her hand on Jazmine shoulder and looked her in her tired green eyes. "Go home. Caesar and Royalty will see you when they come back. I'm sure you kids will Facetime and send pictures all the time anyway. Take your baby home and get some rest."
Jazmine looked over at Huey who slightly nodded, agreeing with Keisha. "Okay. I wish I could stay longer."
"Don't stress yourself out, we'll be back in a couple of weeks. Here, have some take away plates." Keisha quickly got together a couple of plates for the two and handed them over securely wrapped.
The younger couple walked back into the living room and started to get Malcolm ready to leave. It was as if he knew he was leaving because he started to calm down as soon as the jacket was put on.
"Caesar, Royalty. I'll miss you but have fun on your trip." Jazmine said as she hugged them both goodbye.
"We will. I will bring you all back something." Royalty told her before walking over to Malcolm in the car seat. "You're going to be so big when I get back. Bye Malcolm." She blew him some kisses before standing up straight. First she left her baby brother when he was only small and now that she was going back he must be much bigger now and she knew the same thing was going to happen with Malcolm.
"I'll see you guys when I get back." Caesar pulled his two friends into quick hugs. "We are all going to meet up before we go to college so don't you worry about us leaving without a proper goodbye."
"Hopefully it won't go quickly." Jazmine smiled at him. They said the rest of their goodbyes and made their way home with a baby that finally decided to let himself sleep instead of crying and not taking anything he was given. Once they settled back in Huey's room, they took a moment to breath.
"How you feeling?"
Jazmine was laid out on the bed in a starfish position just staring up at the ceiling while Huey sat at his desk chair looking at her.
"Tired. The nap didn't help and I need to pump."
"Just do it tomorrow." He advised.
She rolled her head to the side to get a look at Huey. "My boobs are feeling extra sore tonight. I need to relieve some pressure." Huey nodded and without being asked, he got the equipment she needed and handed it to her. "Thank you baby."
As she got herself set up, Huey went and got the bag of stuff he got for her. He walked back into the room and saw her scrolling through Instagram as the pump did what it needed to do. She didn't even look up when he walked in. It wasn't until he placed the gift bag between her legs when she looked up. "What's this?" She didn't get a reply. Instead, he just sat by her feet. He indicated with his eyes for her to open the bag. It was a pink gift bag that was quite large. She reached inside and gasped. "Aww Huey..." She pulled out the sneakers she had liked on Twitter that he somehow remembered, a tiny teddy, her favourite candy and chocolate, a graphic purse and a picture of Huey and Jazmine first picture they took with Malcolm at the hospital in a cute picture frame. It wasn't something she expect to see.
"So, I was planning on buying you some stuff because I wanted to lift your spirits but according to Hiro this is technically a push gift which I had just found out existed." He said casually.
"This is so nice." She pouted at him. She reached forward and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you so much Huey. I really appreciate it." Jazmine started to laugh to herself. "This is so not romantic." She looked down in reference to the breast pump that was currently sucking milk out of her.
Huey smirked. "Being a mother is surprisingly a turn on for me."
"Boy stop lying. There is nothing cute or sexy about this."
"Maybe to you but I don't mind it."
Jazmine couldn't stop the blush forming on her cheeks as Huey's smirk just got bigger. "Ugh, leave me alone. No sex for a long while anyway. I'm not trying to have back-to-back pregnancy and I'm not ready yet."
He shrugged. "Fine by me." He understood her worry of getting pregnancy again since it was so easy the first time but from now on they were going to be extra careful in what they do. Plus, Jazmine just about liked getting touched, sex was not on the table right now and he was fine with it, when she was ready, he will be too. He didn't want to pressure her to satisfy his needs, that wouldn't be fair to her, she was going through a lot and he wanted to be supportive.
"Wanna watch a movie?"
"Sure."
The two got under the covers and snuggled against each other as Jazmine picked one of the new movies Netflix had released once she had finished pumping. They knew by the time the movie was finishing Malcolm would be waking up so at least they had some quiet time together. Jazmine started to think about how badly she wanted Malcolm to grow up a little so she could play more with him like she did with Caesar's siblings tonight but knew that if she thought that now, she would blink and would be watching her son going off to college and she did not want that to happen. She wanted Malcolm to stay a baby forever, to be her baby forever so she was going to soak up these movements as much as she could in the meantime. She wasn't ready for him to grow up on her yet.
I managed to get a chapter just in time for Christmas! I was trying so hard to have at least one of my stories updated before then. I was hoping to drop the next chapter of Gangster Love by Christmas but it is nowhere near ready yet sorry! Also I'm sorry if this story seems to be going slow at the moment, I just don't want to rush Malcolm growing up but I will start doing it soon because this story is going to be heavy on Huey and Jazmine as new teen parents with hints of other thing.
I hope everyone is staying safe out there. My sister got the rona but she good now and luckily the rest of us in the house didn't get it even though I was around her more than I should've. Now the stupid government don't even know what they're doing and have messed so much stuff up now people have to pay for it smh. Yt men really are the root of all evil. Anyways to the reviews.
GREENPEACE1990, RabbitMelody & Briana13: Thank you for the reviews. Yeah Huey and Riley's grandparents are not very nice, they will be making more of an appearance soon so just stay tuned. I am glad you enjoyed the chapter, I wanted to make the whole new parent thing realistic, especially since they're young too. The pictures of young parents on IG maybe cute but there is a lot more work to be done behind the scenes so I wanted to make sure that this story showed all that. And everyone got to talk about their feelings in the chapter, we love to see the maturity.
Don't forget to leave a review or reread Gangster Love while you wait for an update.
Until next time
-TBG