Okay, Imma just start out by saying this: Not my best work, I know okay

I've been binge watching South Park for the past week my brain has turned into mush.

Hopefully it's not as bad as I think lol, who knows. Now enough of my annoying ass, let's get on with the chap!

Can You Hold Me Down?

"Okay McPhearson, I think it's time that we talk business."

"Gladly, Otomo."

"Oh word?" Caesar slid onto the spot next to Hiro as the boy opened a notebook over the lunch table. Huey rolled his eyes, taking the spot opposite to Caesar. "Shit, I been waiting for this!"

Huey sighed, shaking his head as he watched the interaction. Why were his friends so stupid sometimes?

Every year as September neared its end the same thing happened. the talk around school had already begun, and the attention the two teenagers were receiving was not going unnoticed.

Of course, as with most things, Huey found the whole ordeal extremely idiotic.

He was sure he'd punch the next person who asked him if he and 'McFearsome' were friends. He definitely did not want to be known for that.

"Okay, I've laid out the basic ideas I for the party over the weekend," Caesar strained in his seat to try and get a good look at the notebook Hiro had handed to Cindy.

"It absolutely baffles me that you two put more thought and focus into a party than your grades."

"Shut up, McHater." Cindy retorted, not even looking at his direction. Her eyebrows scrunched together as she read over the page. "Wild West Hiro?" She exclaimed, snorting loudly. "The fuck man?! We've got a reputation to uphold and you come here with Wild Fucking West?!"

"It's just an idea," He reiterated, rolling his eyes at her. "And besides, before we talk about themes we need to talk about logistics. Most importantly money." This grabbed Riley's attention, as he himself peered over Cindy's shoulder to have a proper look at the pages. "I don't wanna be in debt like last year Cindy!"

"Relaax Hiro, it was nothing."

"These savages broke an antique vase that was worth twenty five hundred dollars!" He said exasperatedly.

"Uh-Oh, Somebody got their ass whooped."

"Actually, my parents never found out." He brushed Caesar's comment off. "But still, I'd rather not have that happen again,"

"What? Damn, could you imagine being so rich that you don't even miss a twenty five hundred vase went missing?"

"Can you imagine being so rich that you'd actually spend money on a twenty five hundred dollar vase?" Hiro sighed, clearing his throat.

"Anyway. I think that this year instead of being BYOB and BYOW we gotta buy all that shit ourselves and charge a fee at the entrance," Cindy nodded at that, seemingly deep in thought.

"That ain't a bad idea," Cindy's eyes skimmed through the text. "Besides, we can get that good shit, y'all feel me? I'm tired of these lame niggas showing up with fucking 'Bud Light' and that shitty thing they call weed."

"If I talk to Ed he can he can hook us up wit' that good shit. He might even not charge nuthing." Huey glowered at his brother. It wasn't news to him that Riley was pothead, but as much as he didn't feel comfortable with the fact he knew that if he tried to stop him he'd go out of his way to have it just out of spite. As long as he didn't get himself arrested, Huey could live with it.

"You still kick it with them wiggas?" Caesar asked. "Haven't seen those fools around since I got back."

Riley shrugged. "We doin' our own thing now but we still homies." Caesar glanced at Huey and smirked at the deep scowl on his face. "Anyway, if y'all gonna do dis y'all bettah figure out what you wanna buy and how much y'all willing to invest on the party, if you really wanna get that paper, feel me?" Cindy and Hiro were focused on what Riley had to say. "Lay out a rough estimate of the cost of decoration, refreshments and etc, divide this by the number of people you gonna invite and figure out how much profit you niggas gon' get from the fee."

Everyone in the table stared at Riley with a raised eyebrow while Huey wasn't at all surprised. His brother had to be the smartest dumbass he knew. "The fuck y'all lookin' at?"

"Why do you go out of your way to look so damn stupid all the time?" Said Caesar. "Shit, almost had me fooled." Riley narrowed his eyes at the boy.

"Nigga-"

"What's going on?" Jazmine asked as she arrived at the table. She peered over Cindy's shoulder trying to read the text as well. "Oh, you guys are talking the party already?!" Jazmine squinted at the page. "Early 2000's theme seems nice."

"What's that?" Asked Jade and he had to stifled a groan. Her voice irritated him to no end all of a sudden. Caesar glanced quickly at him and Huey wished he'd stop doing that. As if he was watching his next step warily, like he didn't have no self control. What did he think he'd do? Attack the girl?

"Hiro and Cindy throw this Halloween Party every years since we were in eight grade," Jazmine explained, taking a seat besides Huey and Jade sat next to Riley, who looked at the girl oddly. "It's like, a huge deal or whatever."

"Oh, I think I heard something about that in the hallways, I didn't think you were the ones organizing it though," Huey chanced a glance at Cindy's stank face and smirked. He knew for a fact that the girl wasn't a fan of Jade. Whether it was because she could see right through the façade she was trying to play or the undeniable jealousy she felt towards any of Jazmine other girl friends, Huey didn't know, but for the first time in almost a decade they were in the same page about something.

"The more you know," Cindy rolled her eyes, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She missed the look Jazmine threw her way and Huey could see Caesar trying to hide his own grin. Jade seemed unbothered though.

"Who's you?" Riley watched the whole interaction with the same confused look as when the girl sat besides him like she was with the crew. Huey couldn't blame him. She had never sat with them at lunch before, and now she was acting like it was a normal occurrence.

"You guys haven't met?" Jazmine asked.

"I don't think we did," Said Jade, looking almost curiously at the youngest Freeman.

"If we did I wouldn't be askin',"

"She was at my party," Jazmine glared at him, her lower lip jutting out in a slight pout. "Meanie," The girl mumbled.

"Bitch you seen the state I was at that party? Shit, a nigga was hammered." Riley snorted and everyone at that table seemed to roll their eyes collectively.

"Yes Riley, no need to remind everyone about that," Caesar said, shuddering slightly. Huey shook his head, the lingering stench on Dorothy's backseat was just starting to fade away.

Riley sucked his teeth. "Whatever nigga." He turned his attention back to the girl. "So?"

"Riley, stop being rude!" Jazmine reprimanded.

"I'm Jade," The girl finally said. "Nice to meet you." Riley's eyebrows furrowed at her sly tone, and then Huey saw his eyes widen slightly, in what he could only assume was realization.

"Jade?" Their eyes met, and Huey was shooting him that annoying look he knew too damn well. "Oh…" He smirked, looking back at the girl. "Nice to meet ya,"

That sneaky little nigga…

Even though they hadn't actually met, Huey had told Riley about the events of last week and he had just waved it off as her being just 'another hatin'-ass bitch', but he could tell his brother was taken aback by her appearance. He probably was expecting just one of Jazmine's nerdy friends running her mouth.

"Aight nigga, can we get back on track? Damn!" Cindy snapped, looking heated. She glared daggers at Riley who just nodded in return. If there was one thing his brother knew how to do was push someone's buttons. Cindy looked ready to rip the girl's weave off of her head right then and there.

Huey tuned them out, rolling his eyes as he focused on his vegan meatloaf.

"You said you needed help with bio," He stated suddenly to Jazmine, who had just taken a bite off an apple she retrieved from her bag. "I can help after school you if you want," She looked at him weirdly, her brows arching slightly.

He was never the one to arrange these little study gatherings, Caesar and Jazmine would just show up begging him for help and he'd comply because he was, against popular belief, a good friend, But if he was honest, he wanted to check in on her. She seemed over all rather distant since last week. At first he thought it was because of Jade's unwanted opinion, but he realized he wasn't the only one whom the girl had been shunning away. When Cindy had confronted her about it over lunch earlier that week she just told them she was still getting used to the heavier rehearsing schedule, which Huey thought was indeed a fair point, but still...something was rubbing him off wrong, and he knew when to trust his gut.

"Aren't you the sweetest thing?" She giggled when he rolled his eyes.

"No, I'm not." He deadpanned. "I just don't want you crawling over to me when you're almost flunking the class."

"How nice," She took another bite of the apple. "Either way, I can't. I got-"

"Rehearsal," He finished for her. It seemed that was all she ever did now. Huey didn't know why, but it irritated him slightly.

"Are you staying until late today, Jazzy?" Huey tried his hard to refrain from glaring. Who the hell had invited that girl to the conversation?

"Yeah, today Elliot and I are working on the Pas-de-Deux after class, we're probably going to work on it all of next week too."

Huey scrunched up his eyebrows. "The what?"

"Pah-duh-DUH," She reiterated, emphasizing the silly french accent.

"I heard you the first time," He said annoyedly. "I just don't know what the hell that is-"

"It means 'step of two' in french," Jade butted in, as she often did. "It's a dance duo."

"I didn't ask-"

"You know Elliot Lewis? The senior?" Jazmine interjected before he could finish his remark. "I'm dancing with him. He's the Cavalier." He gave her a look. The only cavalier he had knowledge of was that small breed of dogs that only rich white women owned and he could be wrong, but he didn't think those had a place in the Nutcracker.

"Jazmine, I have many areas of expertise, but ballet is not one of them,"

She snorted at him. "Not that you wouldn't look scrumptious in a pair of tights and a tutu."

"Oh, so now you've got jokes?"

"I'm just kidding, of course," She chuckled into the apple. "Male dancers don't wear tutus."

Huey groaned inwardly, that was what you get from trying to be nice. "Shut up, Jazmine."

"She's just teasing you, no need to be an asshole about it." Both Huey and Jazmine snapped their heads forward. Jade shrugged nonchalantly, taking a bite off her sandwich. "Just sayin'," Huey rolled his eyes visibly. Why was this girl so petty? He knew she was going out of her way just to get him heated and if he had to absolutely honest, it had been working since the moment she sat down at the table.

"You know what's funny?" Huey said, ignoring Jazmine's weary look. "I don't remember anybody asking you to say anything."

"Huey-"

"I'm not answering a question, I'm stating a fact." She retorted with the same intensity.

"Jade…"

"It's not a fact, it's an assumption." His voice was eerily levelled, which wasn't a good sign seeing that the conversation on the other side of the table stopped momentarily as they focused on Huey's and Jade's small altercation. "You've assumed I'm being an 'assholle'," He put emphasis on the air quotes. "Because instead of minding your own damn business you insist on butting in on mine's and Jazmine's."

"Damn," Caesar said under his breath, but loud enough for the table to hear.

Jade shifted uncomfortably on her seat and Huey smirked slightly, but his triumph was short lived as he felt his foot being stomped under the table. "Ow! Jazmine what the fuck!"

"Stop it!" She warned. "Both of you! This is little argument is stupid…"

"You're right," Jade's pride had clearly been hurt. "I don't even know why I'm wasting my breath with him."

"why are you then?!"

"You know what-"

"Guys," Jazmine whined. She absolutely hated any form of confrontation, which was ironic considering who her group of friends were, but Huey was mindful enough of that to not tell the girl who sat across from him to go fuck herself. Well, at least not yet. "Don't, okay? I can speak for myself."

"Exactly my point,"

"Huey," She sighed heavily, glaring at him. "Can we just have a peaceful lunch? For once?" He narrowed his eyes at Jade. She had killed whatever trace of a good mood he had in him, which fair enough, wasn't that hard to do.

"Can we, Huey?" Jade was clearly trying to make a mockery out of the situation which she caused, and Huey simply wasn't having that. He huffed as he grabbed his stuff, ignoring the looks he was receiving.

"I'll talk to you later, Jazmine."

"Where are you going?" She looked disappointed. At what exactly, Huey couldn't tell.

"Yo, why you always gotta up and leave?" He heard Riley say. "Dramatic ass nigga."

"I'm going to debate." He said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh," Jade offered him a sly smirk. "Save me a seat then." Huey stopped what he was doing to glare at her for a moment before making his way out of the cafeteria.

He glared at the ground mulling over her last comment. It seemed that now that he actually acknowledge her, he realized just how painfully present she was in his timetable. They shared at least four classes, much for Huey's dismay, and for the past week it seemed that she'd jump at the opportunity to throw snarky comments or sit obnoxiously close to him just out of spite.

But if she wanted to be childish than that was her own problem, Huey never had an issue with ignoring people before, he wasn't going to start now.

Though he had to admit, the urge to tell her to go fuck herself was growing stronger with each day that passed.

Caesar aimlessly played notes on his keyboard feeling slightly dejected. His day had been far too dull for a friday. He considered calling Huey over, but he knew his friend didn't have much in mind other than studying, and that was the last thing he wanted to do with his afternoon.

He knew Huey was in one of his moods, and he honestly didn't feel like dealing with that at the moment, which was why he was in his room by himself, playing some tunes to see if he came up with something new. It was peaceful, but it was also very boring.

He perked up a bit when he heard the doorbell ring. "What's up, Big Hiro?" He dapped the boy up and grinned when he noticed the pen drive on one of his hands and the same notebook he had at lunch in the other. "Oh, what you got for me?" He closed the door behind him, letting the boy in.

"We need to work on the playlist for the party," Caesar arched an eyebrow.

"We?"

"We." The asian boy reiterated as the both of them made their way to Caesar's room.

"Could've at least let me know beforehand," Though he wasn't complaining. Hiro made himself at home, opening Caesar's laptop and inserting the device in.

"I'm letting you know now," He opened a program and began typing rapidly. Caesar rolled his eyes but smirked, watching his friend. Hiro had tried to teach Caesar how to remix and produce music ages ago, but he never could wrap his head around it. Caesar was more of an R&B, acoustic guy anyway.

Hiro had talent, that was something no one could deny. His fingers worked like magic on the computer, and they spent the better of the afternoon listening to the mixtape. Caesar had retreated back to the keyboard, offering his own take on the remixed musics.

"Your shit's fire dude, forreal!" He admitted. Hiro smirked, making notes on the notebook he had brought. "Nigga why you ain't on soundcloud yet?"

"Cuz I don't feel like being bullied maybe?" He shook his head, looking incredulously at Caesar. "Can you imagine my lame ass becoming a soundcloud trapper or some shit like that? I'd be roasted into next year."

"You're tripping,"

Hiro let out a breath. "You really believe that?" Caesar was silent. Yeah, in retrospect he couldn't really imagine his scrawny, four-eyed, spiky haired friend having any sort of soundcloud clout without getting roasted like a rotisserie chicken, but he digressed. "Exactly."

"But who gives a fuck anyway?" Caesar rolled his eyes. "Those white people are a bunch of dicks, this ain't news to anybody. Just do your own shit and let them haters hate."

"Easy for you to say," Hiro retorted. "Half of the female student body swoons over you."

"Man that's not true!"

"You know it is." He narrowed his eyes. "You're the 'Other Black Guy'. Huey's too unapproachable and Riley's a freshman. You however, the white females can barely keep themselves together." Caesar snorted, flipping Hiro off. "Honestly man, I don't even know how you haven't gotten a date yet since you came back. What's holding you?"

Caesar stopped momentarily. He didn't even spare too much thought about that if he was honest. There was so much he was caught up with that 'getting some' was a topic pushed to the back of his mind. "I dunno, maybe my world doesn't revolve around pussy?"

"Right," Hiro smirked at him disbelievingly. "Well dude, catch up. Shit, even Jazmine got a date and you don't," Caesar paused for a second, blinking as Hiro turned back to the computer. "Soon enough Huey's gonna be gettin' some and you won't-"

"Wait a damn second-" Hiro turned back to him, arching his brow. "What did you just say?"

"Uh...Huey's gonna get some…?"

"No bruh, what did you say about Jazmine?" Caesar urged impatiently. hiro furrowed his brows for a moment.

"She didn't tell you?" Hiro bit his lip, clearly uneasy.

"what exactly are you talking about?" Hiro let out a stream of breath through his nose.

"You know Peter? That dude that hangs out with me sometimes? The new kid?" Oh, Caesar knew exactly where this was going. "He asked her out and she said yes. I mean, that's not even a big deal since they already kissed, but dude's all pumped and shit. Why wouldn't she tell you? Aren't you guys like besties or whatever?"

"That's what I thought," He crossed his arms, his face taking the form of a scowl not unlike Huey's. "But I'm not even surprised, she knows I think he's a punk,"

"You're tripping hard now. Dude's really cool," Hiro glanced at him, as if studying his face with a sudden look of realization. "Are you jealous or something?"

Caesar sucked his teeth. "The fuck you mean jealous?"

"I dunno dude, you and Huey are weird. None of y'all have girlfriends, none of y'all go out with her and yet both of you act like some guard dogs, and that's since we were kids."

"That's some bullshit,"

"Is it though?"

"She's like a sister to me man, I just look out for her," He said defensively. "Somebody's gotta she's...too Jazmine for her own good." Hiro arched an eyebrow.

"Whatever you say dude…"

"How do you even know this anyway?"

"Peter told me. I don't have to subject myself to conniving ways like some people to get information," He smirked at Caesar's glare. "I'm just playin' man, we're homies,"

"Oh so now you're homies?! Nigga's been around for all of five minutes and y'all are homies?"

"See? Jealous." Hiro rolled his eyes. "It ain't a good look on you bro, I gotta say."

"Whatever,"

"Man get that puss off your face." Hiro threw a Yoda plush at him. "Why is it such a big deal anyway? He's cool peoples, and seems to be way nicer than any of the other dudes who just tried getting in her pants before. I think y'all should just chill."

Caesar let out a stream of air through his nose, shrugging. It's not like he could tell what the real issue was. God, if Huey wasn't so damn slow all the time he'd save the both of them a whole lot of trouble, playing wingman to the boy was admittedly exhausting.

"Say Hiro, do you know when this date is?"

"Uh...Sunday I think?" Hiro looked at him wearily. "...Why do you ask?"

"Just out of curiosity."

"Hm, sure…" He turned back to the laptop, shaking his head slightly. "I dunno what you're planning, but when you inevitably go running your mouth off to people just remember that you didn't hear it from me."

"Don't worry about it." Caesar didn't know what Hiro was talking about. Caesar didn't go running his mouth to anybody...that wasn't of importance.

But he was going to get it out if Jazmine first, which he knew wouldn't be that hard considering the fact that she couldn't lie to save her own life.

Damn...He really needed to get a girl of his own to worry about…

"Okay, what the hell is up with you?" Riley arched an eyebrow at his brother as he leaned against the doorframe of his room.

"Watchu mean?"

"Why are you here?" Riley narrowed his eyes, giving Huey a confused look.

"I kinda...live here?" Riley tilted his head to the side frowning when Huey invited himself into the once shared bedroom.

"A friday night and you're home? Willingly?" He rolled his eyes, focusing his attention back at the sketch he had been working on. "Something horrible must have happened if you're not out somewhere making a fool of yourself."

"Man," Riley sucked his teeth. "What the fuck do you want?"

"You've been acting weird, Riley." Huey accused. "Since last week. You've been on edge, so if you're hiding something you better just tell me already and get this over with before whatever shit you're planning hits the fan."

Riley huffed, ignoring his brother but feeling his stomach get awfully queasy. Why was it that Huey always knew stuff? "Riley…" He heard his warning, stern tone and it irritated him to no end. He wasn't his father. He didn't need to be breathing down his neck all the damn time.

"Back the fuck off nigga, damn!" Riley huffed, feeling himself get agitated. "Why you always sweating on a nigga, huh?"

"Because you're always getting yourself and everyone around you in trouble and I'm always the one fixing your shit." Riley glared at him. "Now can you please save me the trouble?"

"Man I ain't even do nuthing this time!" Riley blurted out, realizing what he said after it had left his mouth.

"Oh," Huey arched an eyebrow. "This time?"

Riley loudly let out a stream of breath. He always did this. Sometimes he wondered of he was actually as stupid as people told him.

Either way, there was no running from it now.

"There's this thing…" Riley tried to think of a way to explain to his brother that he might, hypothetically, get punked in the near future without sounding too much like a punk.

"This thing…?"

"You know all that shit that went down with that Brandon nigga last week?" Huey nodded. "Yeah so...I kinda think...I dunno, I think he finna...jump me o' whatevah-"

"What?" The lines etched on Huey's forehead deepened. "He's gonna jump you?!"

"Keep it down man, damn!" Riley hissed, glaring at the still open door. "You want Granddad to hear you?!" Huey gave his brother a hard look before closing the door shut.

"What do you mean?! What did you do Riley?!" Huey pressed. Riley huffed, turning to his brother harshly.

"I didn't do shit," He crossed his arms over his chest. "Nothing I hadn't already done."

"Can you elaborate?!"

Riley sighed, swallowing thickly. "He got all mad 'cuz of the video, and like, on monday last week he tried to start sum shit at school, but I promised C-Murph I wouldn't mess wit' him no more, so I didn't, but…" Riley avoided his brother's eyes, looking uneasy.

"But what?"

"That nigga wanted to say sum' bout having eyes in the back of mah head o' some shit," Riley shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant.

"Was that a threat?"

"A 'warning' apparently."

"And you're taking it seriously?" Huey seemed less riled up, but still had his strong eyebrows arched. "You never take this kinda shit seriously. It's not like nobody ever threatened to beat your ass before, and he's already proven to the whole town that he's a punk."

"I know man," Riley was silent for a moment as he organized his thoughts. "It's Cindy. When I went to make up she said all this stuff 'bout how 'I don't wanna mess with him' and she ain't tell me why. And you know that girl ain't scared o' nuthing." Huey furrowed his eyebrows, trying to process what his brother was saying. "Not that I'm scared!" Riley backpaddled. "I just don't want her to get all bitchy wit' me again."

"Did he say he was going to jump you?" Huey promptly ignored Riley's last comment

"He didn't like, say it out loud," Riley scratched his braids. "But I'm assuming that's what he meant...I mean, what the hell he gon' do? Show up with a .38 and smoke a nigga?" Riley snorted, though it lacked humor. "You don't think he gon' do that, do you?"

"No, Riley." Huey huffed, glaring at nothing in particular. "He's not jumping you, much less 'smoking' you," He air-quoted. "Not if I have anything to do about it."

"Watchu mean?" Riley eyed his brother suspiciously. "Whatchu gon' do?"

"I dunno yet, But if that fuckboy thinks he can get away with this shit, he's regretfully mistaken." Huey stated with a finality tone that Riley knew meant business. His expression was dark and Riley wondered if he should have even said anything at all.

Huey walked towards the door, muttering to himself like a crazy person. "Yo," He turned to his brother once again. "Don't sweat it. Seriously."

"I should be telling you that," He retorted. "You'll be fine." And with that he left the room. Riley was a bit weary, he knew his brother liked to act all calm and collected but could turn into a nigga real quick if someone pushed the right buttons.

And nine times out of ten those buttons had Riley's name written on it.

"Okay Cindy," Jazmine managed to say through labored breaths. "That's...enough for today." The girl huffed and puffed, plopping down on the nearest bench and chugging her water bottle. "I still have ballet today...ugh, why did I agree to this?"

"Agree?!" Caesar snorted, slightly out of breath himself, but not nearly struggling as much as the girl. "You're the one who woke us up saturday morning to go on a run, what are you talking about?"

"Right," Jazmine wiped her wet forehead, laying down limply. "If regret could kill I'd be six feet under."

"Bitch, quit the whining," Cindy seemed to be the most unbothered out of the three. "We barely ran two miles,"

"I thought my athlete friends would be happy to do an activity with me, why am I being punished?" Caesar and Cindy both rolled their eyes simultaneously at the girl's dramatics.

"You ain't being punished Jazmine, for fuck's sake,"

"You should've gone easy on me…"

"Girl you know damn well the word easy ain't part of her vocabulary." Caesar pointed a finger at Cindy, who was nonchalantly stretching her limbs. "I don't know what you were thinking."

"Ugh," Jazmine moaned once again. "Caesar, gimme your inhaler."

"You're not asthmatic, Jazmine."

"I sure feel like I am right now." Caesar was almost amused at her antics.

"Stop breathing like a damn dog then!" Cindy quipped impatiently. "Breath in through your nose and out your mouth. Girl you're out of shape."

"That's exactly why I wanted to do this!" She whined. "So I can get in shape!"

"Well girlfriend, you betta work on that-"

"Okay, both of you," Caesar interrupted. "Cin, stop being a bitch-"

"Hey!"

"Jaz, stop whining." Jazmine let out a noncommittal grunt. "Let's just walk back home," Caesar helped the girl up. "But seriously though, stop panting. You're gonna get a stitch." Jazmine nodded, flaring her nostrils and inhaling as much air as possible. Caesar shook his head.

"You never once in all our six years of friendship showed any interest in working out. Why now all of a sudden?"

"True dat," Cindy said. "You began faking cramps in gym class even before you actually got your period."

"Well Cindy, as you so kindly put it, I'm out of shape. I need to get fit for the part, my dance teacher said it herself."

"You're not out of shape Jaz," Caesar threw Cindy a sharp look. "I mean, exercising wouldn't hurt, but only if you're actually focusing on trying to be healthy."

"I'm focusing on trying to get my thighs to stop jiggling when I do my leaps, thank you very much."

"What's wrong with being thick?" Jazmine shoved Caesar's shoulder. "I'm serious! Shoot, your little boyfriend must love them jiggly thighs," He smirked maliciously, watching as the girls stopped dead in their tracks, arching bot of her eyebrows.

"What are you talking about?"

"You saying stuff out of your ass again Ceez?" He narrowed the eyes at the blonde. Jazmine was already beet red under her toffee complexion, her eyes bugged out as if she was a deer caught in a headlight. Caesar crossed his arms and turned at the girls.

"Oh, so you're gonna stand there and pretend like you ain't gotta date with What's-His-Name Garcia?!" Jazmine's mouth opened and closed repeatedly, not unlike a fish out of water. "That's what I thought." He turned and walked ahead of the girls.

3...2...1…

"First of all!" Jazmine trotted, trying to keep up with him. "It's Gonzalez-"

"Oh, that changes everything."

"Shut up Caesar!" She squeaked. "And he's not my boyfriend! How did you find out?"

"I have my ways," He gave her a look. "Why wouldn't you tell me?" It came off more whiny than he'd like, but she did look uneasy, biting her lip and averting his gaze.

"Man, I told you this nigga was gon' find out," Cindy sucked her teeth, narrowing her eyes at Caesar.

"I didn't tell you because I knew you would get-" She waved her hand in front of him. "Like this!"

"It's not like you had to ask me for permission!" The girl looked sheepish. "I would've just like to know about the fact from my supposed best friend instead of other people, which you knew was gonna happen sooner or later."

"Nigga please," Cindy butted in. "Huey is your BFF, who you tryna fool?"

"Okay Cynthia, My girl best friend." Cindy glared at the use of her government name but Caesar ignored her, looking at Jazmine. "I'm just saying, lying ain't your thing…"

"I didn't lie," She sounded incredulous. "I just...omitted…"

"Which is just as bad-"

"Okay! God, I'm sorry!" Caesar stifled a grin. God, he was good at this. "I didn't think you'd be this upset."

"I'm not upset," He admitted. "But I mean...Let's all be honest here, if I started going out Becky from cheer-"

"Ew-"

"-And didn't tell you there would be hell to pay." Jazmine nodded defeatedly with a sigh.

"Fair enough...But you're not planning on actually doing that, are you?"

"Rebecca is a bitch in every sense of the word."

"The fuck do I look like?" Caesar snorted, shuddering comically. "Shit, Huey would probably beat my ass if I ever considered such atrocity."

"And I'd help," Caesar smirked. "Now let's go hurry, I still gotta take a shower before I have to meet up with Jade."

Cindy audibly huffed, crossing her arms above her chest as she rolled her arms. Caesar arched an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

The walk back to Jazmine's house wasn't as painstaking as the run, but every once in a while Jazmine would complain loudly. Caesar found it rather comical.

"Wanna play some ball?" He asked the blond after they had dropped Jazmine off.

"Yeah, whatevah...Ain't got nothing better to do."

"I'm touched," Caesar rolled his eyes. "You gonna hit Reezy up?"

"you think that boy gon' wake up any earlier than noon?" She snorted.

"Forreal," He had half a mind to get Huey, but he didn't like basketball very much...or Cindy for that matter. As he thought about his friend his stomach sunk slightly. Huey would be upset, even if he wouldn't admit it. Caesar would bet anything that Jade had something to do with Jazmine's sudden secrecy, and he did not like it.

Speaking of which…

"Yo," He caught Cindy's attention. "What's with you and Jade?"

"Oh I don't like that bitch," Cindy immediately scowled.

"Y'all got beef?"

"Nah, I ain't never talk to her." Caesar arched an eyebrow. "She always actin' like her shit don't stink though. I can smell the fake in that bitch from a mile away."

"Huh," Caesar didn't know whether Cindy's animosity towards the girl came from a genuine place or just from pure dumb jealousy, but at least it felt reassuring to know that him and Huey weren't the only ones to think that there was something off with that girl.

"And now all Jazmine cares about is that hoe," Caesar saw hurt flash so quickly through the girl's expression that he assumed he had imagined it. "Whatever. If I say anything I'm the bitch all of the sudden."

All of a sudden, right.

"Don't let it get to your head," Caesar said, despite his thoughts. "I mean, she's spending loads of time with her because of that dance thing but it's whatever. She knows who her true friends are."

"Hm, we'll see about that."

"Dude, chill." Caesar reassured as they got to the court. "This is Jazmine we're talking about."

"Circle formation ladies!" Mrs. Janette announced to the girls. Jazmine sat by the mirror, beaming at her peers. The Waltz of the Flowers was one of her favorite moments on the whole show, the music, the way all the girls danced in synch, everything was spectacular.

And of course, Jade's Dewdrop solo in the midst of all this really was something else.

"I want your legs nice and stretched on that Assemblé Miss Miller! Yes that's it!" Jade looked ten feet tall when she propped herself up on those pointé shoes. It was all so seamless to her that she barely broke a sweat. Her confidence seemed to fuel the whole room.

She made it look mesmerizing, even only wearing the company's leothard, even with her hair falling out of the once neat bun with every turn.

If Jazmine said there wasn't the teensiest, tiniest bit of envy, she'd be lying.

The music ended with an extravagant pose, Jade shining front and center, her arms crossed elegantly above her chest. All the students who were sitting out applauded, Jazmine being one of the most enthusiastic ones.

"Very well girls, nicely done." Mrs. Janette said with a smile. "There's still some things we have to fix and work on, but we can get to it next week. Mr. Lewis, Miss DuBois, unfortunately we will not be able to work on your dance today, something came up with the costumes, now I'll have to run to the city to get to the tailors on time," She sounded exasperated.

"Is everything alright?" Jazmine asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's just a small thing, but it's best if I sort this out sooner rather than later." The woman explained. "You are all discharge. Enjoy the rest of your weekend but not too much!"

"Your lines are freaking ridiculous," Jazmine said as she approached Jade, who smirked in her direction, putting her stuff away. "Seriously, your legs look taller than my whole entire body."

"Don't be dumb. Your turns are better than mine anyway." Jazmine grabbed her own bag, zipping up her jacket as they walked out of the studio. "So, you feel like doing anything?"

"Nah, I'm exhausted." Jazmine stifled a yawn as if to prove a point. She felt tired to the bone, the one thing she was looking forward to was getting home, taking a long hot shower to relieve some of the soreness of her muscles and hitting the hay. "I had the bright idea to go on a run with Cindy and Caesar before class, my legs feel like freaking jelly."

Jade chuckled. "You're crazy girl," She fumbled with her bag before retrieving her car keys and unlocking the white hb20 that was pulled over by the sidewalk. "Bye Jazzy, see ya monday."

"See ya,"

"And don't forget to tell me everything about tomorrow!" Jade smirked and Jazmine felt herself get bright red.

"I won't," She rolled her eyes with a smile.

"You better not. Bye-Bye." Jazmine waved at the car, getting her own phone to try and call her mom.

She must have ringed her up at least three times, but got no answer. Sighing, she sat on a nearby bench. Why she didn't just ask Jade for a ride home was beyond her. Now what was she going to do?

Her mom had agreed to pick her up since her dad was out of town for business, but it was only supposed to be a few hours from now. She searched through her list of contacts trying to think of anyone willing to give her a ride and cursed her parents for not even allowing her to get her driver's license.

Caesar probably wouldn't be up to driving all the way to their neighborhood, and knowing him, he probably wasn't home in a saturday evening anyway. Both Cindy and Riley couldn't drive yet, even though they annoyingly insisted they knew how to. Jazmine shuddered at the thought, getting anywhere near either of them driving a car was probably a death wish.

Her mind quickly went to Huey and she didn't hesitate to ring him up. She knew he'd complain but wouldn't leave her hanging, especially considering that he was the most paranoid person when it came to apps such as Uber...Well, after her own father of course.

But it would be nice if he ever picked up…

"Ugh, what is it with people and their phones today?" She muttered to herself, ending the call. She knew it would be no good to send him a message because he barely replied to those as is, so she was back to searching through her list of contacts, looking for a merciful soul to take her back home.

She didn't want to take the twenty minute walk back to her house as the evening began to set, but if no one answered that would be her best bet. Suddenly her mind traveled to a very particular someone and, even though she was by herself, her cheeks turned pink.

Peter did live quite near...but did she want to ask for a ride the day before their date? Just thinking about it made her feel all giddy and bubbly inside, but she didn't want to come off as needy.

But well, she was in dire need of help right this moment.

She was having a very serious internal debate when someone pulled her out of thoughts by calling her name. "Oh, hi Elliot!" She waved at the tall boy who made his way towards her. "Are you just leaving the studio?"

"Yeah, I forgot my slippers in the dressing room," He looked around. "Are you stranded here?" Jazmine giggled, shrugging.

"Kinda. My mom was supposed to pick me up but I think she's still at work."

"I could give you a ride," Jazmine's eyes lit up slightly.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, you live at timid deer lane right?" The girl nodded. "I live only a street over, it's no problem."

"Oh Elliot, thank you so much!" She gushed over, immediately standing up as relief washed over her. "I thought I'd have to walk,"

"It's nothing," He smiled. "Let's go."

Elliot was one of the many people whom Jazmine was sorta friends with. They had known each other since Elliot joined the company about three years ago, and while they were more than acquaintances, they only ever really talked to one another at class.

It was understandable. At school she only ever did spend time with her rather closed off group of friends and well, Jade now. They had a reputation after all...Huey and Cindy weren't exactly very approachable, and for the majority of her high school career so far they were the ones she hanged out with.

"It sucks that we didn't get to practice the duo today," Elliot said as he started the car. Jazmine nodded with a frown. "It was fun yesterday,"

That was very true. Jazmine had never danced with a male partner before and for some reason she had been nervous out of her mind, but she soon realized it was much better than dancing alone. "Yeah...we'll have plenty of time though. I'll bet that next week Mrs. Janette will want to make up for lost time."

"Can't wait," He said feebly.

"Hard work pays off, stop complaining," She giggled and he smirked, sighing dramatically.

After about ten minutes of conversation Elliot dropped her off. She let out a relieved breath after the boy left, looking forward to some alone time before her mom got home. if she had to admit she was starting to get a little overworked, but as Mrs. Janette said, it could only get better.

She hoped that statement was true.

She didn't even bother calling out to anyone since she was certain that there wasn't anyone home, but before she could make her way upstairs to her room she heard rather strange noises.

Her heart started thumping. The boys had forced her to see enough horror movies to make her feel anxious. A defenseless girl alone in a dark house hearing strange noises coming from the second story.

Hell no.

She tried to convince herself that maybe it was a mouse or something, but just that thought made a chill run down the spine. Even then, these noises weren't anything like that of mice. Ugh, what would Huey do?!

Mustering up every ounce of nerve she had in her body, she quietly tiptoed to the kitchen, grabbed the meat mallet and climbed up the stairs. She really did feel like she was in a horror movie now. The noise was getting louder now. It was a...constant thumping? What the hell could that even be.

Suddenly another sound, a very human noise, assaulted her ears, and it made her freeze in her spot. Not out of fear...no, it was much worse than that. It couldn't be what she thought it was. No...she was tripping balls.

But the slightly ajar door on her parents bedroom was what gave her the confirmation she needed. She hoped against hope itself that she was wrong, but the sight that she was met with when she peeked inside made her let out a shriek.

She'd rather have seen a hundred mice. Hell, she'd rather have seen Jack the Ripper himself.

Anything would have been better than witnessing her mother on top of a man that wasn't her father.

"Jazmine?!" The woman shrieked. "Shit! Shit shit shit!" She could hear the pure shock and horror on her mother's voice. Her whole body started to shake convulsively as the realization of what was actually going on hit her harder than a train. Her stomach churned, and she had never felt quite so disgusted in her life.

"Fuck, is that your kid?!" This deep, male voice made her heart clench, snapping her back to the horrible reality she was now facing.

"Jazmine!" Sarah tried to call, but the girl had already bolted down to the foyer. "Jazmine, please honey-"

"Don't call me that!" She screamed, surprising even herself and turning to her mother, whose face was already tear stricken and beet red. The woman was shaking like a leaf, looking pathetic with her disheveled hair and holding her robe closed for decency. What decency? "Do not call me that!"

"Let me explain, please Jazmine!" She pleaded, but Jazmine could only see red.

"Explain what? How you were fucking another man?" She spat at her mother, who let out a shocked gasp. She had never cursed at her parents before. She wasn't even sure she had ever cursed inside of her home.

"Jazmine! Watch your-"

"My language?!" She let out a humorless snort. "You are unbelievable! I don't fucking care about my language, you cheated on dad!" It felt like someone was squeezing her heart out. She pointed a shaky finger at her mother. "You...How could you?" Jazmine clenched her jaw, forcing her eyes shut, as if she'd open them up and realize it was all a horrible nightmare, but when she did open them it was all the same. Her mom was still pitifully whimpering on the steps, the air was still thick and she still held a meat mallet in her hand. "How could you mom?" She demanded, letting go of the kitchen tool, making it clank loudly as it hit the floor.

"Baby please, let's talk about this-"

"Get away from me!" She yelled as the woman dared to take a step towards her. "God, I can't even look at you right now." They stared at each other, the silence between them deafening. Wordlessly, Jazmine opened the door and slammed it behind her.

She fled before her mother had the opportunity to look for her, not that she thought she'd actually do it. Her legs travelled aimlessly, she didn't know where they were taking her, she only knew she needed to run.

How could her own mother do this? The woman who preached about the value of honesty and truth before she was even old enough to talk. The woman who once grounded her for weeks for not telling her she was going to Cindy's.

Her role model.

How could she? She repeated the same three words on her head countless times, but she couldn't come up with an answer. Right there on their own bed. Her dad had been out of town for barely over twelve hours! And what if Jazmine had gotten home on the usual time? Would she dare to kiss her cheeks with her filthy mouth? To talk about the day as if she wasn't screwing a random man just a few hours before picking up her daughter? Jazmine felt like she was going to throw up.

She was slightly out of breath when she realized she had reached the hill. It wasn't even surprising, she always tried to find solace there. Either with Huey, with Caesar, or by herself, this very same hill had seen her at her best and worse multiple times, but now she doubted that the calm breeze and the silver moonlight would offer her any consolation.

She doubted anything would.

The white hot, boiling anger that was bubbling inside of her was replaced by an agonizing feeling of hopelessness. It crushed her, and she felt ready to collapse from the inside out.

She curled into a ball, finally feeling fat tears running down her face at a rapid pace. She assumed they would've come earlier, but maybe she was too shocked or too angry or too something to let herself cry.

It gave her no relief though, but that wasn't surprising.

She almost didn't notice her phone buzzing inside her bag, and a part of her just wanted to chuck it down the hill and wallow in her own grief in peace, but when she saw the caller ID she accepted the call almost on instinct.

"Hey, did you need anything?" Huey's deep, smooth voice was almost comforting. She closed her eyes, trying to find words, but her brain wasn't working properly. "Jazmine? You there?"

"Yeah," Her voice sounded both hoarse and high, cracking in the middle but she wasn't sure if he had noticed or not.

"I was getting something done for Granddad, that's why I didn't pick up earlier." He explained, not that she'd have inquired anyway. "What's up?"

"I-I," Caesar's voice passed through her mind, and she remembered the advice he had giving her earlier. Breath in through your nose and out your mouth.

"You...?"

"I needed a ride," She managed to choke out. "B-But I don't need one anymore." There was a beat of silence and she could almost see Huey narrowing his eyes at the phone.

"What's going on with you?"

"Huey-" She was cut off by a hard, painful sob so strong that she almost got whiplash.

"Jazmine?! What's wrong?" His voice sounded calm and plain, but Jazmine had heard it enough times to pick up on the worried undertone. She didn't know why, but she seemed to lose the little control she had over her emotions. "Jazmine you're freaking me out."

"Come to the hill," She blurted out between sobs.

"What's going-"

"Please Huey," She must have sounded pathetic, but right then and there she didn't care. He was her rock, whether he liked it or not. "Just...I need you right now."

He didn't know what to expect when he reached the hill, but it definitely wasn't this.

Jazmine couldn't stop crying, which in and of itself wasn't something too out of the ordinary, but the heart-wrenching sobs that seemed to rattle her from the inside out, the genuine whimpers and the sharp intakes of breaths that made Huey worry she would collapse from hyperventilation weren't something he was used to.

He stood there, kneeling besides her, his expression stoic as ever as he tried to think what exactly he could do to help the situation. He felt so angry. Angry about seeing her like this, angry at whoever had done this to her. Watching her in this state made his heart throb painfully in a way that was most unusual to him, but he guessed that's what happened when you cared about a person.

And caring for Jazmine was something he found himself doing more often than he'd ever admit.

She hadn't said anything yet. There was a moment when he arrived when she started blubbering unintelligibly, but soon gave up. He was slightly relieved though when she began to calm down, managing to take deeper breaths, her sobs becoming further apart.

"I'm sorry," She finally whimpered, sniffling as she tried to wipe the tears and shame off her face. Huey shifted, arching his eyebrows almost unsure that she had actually talked to him.

"What the hell are you apologizing for?!"

"I dunno," Her voice didn't even sound like her own. "I just felt like I should."

"Jazmine," He sighed heavily. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?" The wetness on her eyes made them look even bigger. Huey tried not to frown. "You don't have to if you don't want...but honestly, you're starting to really scare me." He admitted.

She was still silent, biting her bottom lip so hard he was surprised it hadn't drawn blood. "Does it have anything to do with what happened last week?" Her eyebrows seemed to scrunched up slightly before realization hit her and she shrugged miserably.

"Kinda, I guess," She gave him a hard look, her eyes always got puffy when she cried and today was no exception. "I'm gonna tell you, but you have to promise me you won't tell anybody."

"Did you really feel the need to ask me that?"

"Just...be quiet for a second," Huey clamped his mouth shut as she rested her head on her knees, bracing herself for whatever she was about to say.

She told him the events of that evening, and he could tell it was a struggle for her not to break down again. Even though his expression was rather blank, saying he wasn't somewhat caught off guard would be a lie.

"I…" He tried to come up with some words of comfort, but he was never too good with that, if at all. She looked disgusted, disappointed...and he couldn't blame her. "That's fucked up." That's why he was terrified of relationships. The dishonesty of the human being wasn't something baffling to him, but he couldn't imagine letting his guards down for someone just to have them stab you on the back moments later.

"If you want to say that it was a long time coming or go on a rant about how people are inherently disloyal I really don't wanna hear it," Her tone sounded bitter, though he knew that said bitterness wasn't directed towards him.

"I...I wasn't going to," Not that he hadn't thought about it, he just wasn't going to say it out loud. He was sensible enough to know when someone needed a reality check, and Jazmine seemed like she'd had enough of that already.

The girl hiccuped, resting her head on his shoulder looking at nothing in particular. Huey could see fresh tears rolling down her face and he wondered what was going through her mind. "I knew things were bad," She said suddenly. "I've known for a long time...but I never thought...I never imagined…"

"The things that hurt the most are the things that are unexpected," He could say from experience. His mind wandered briefly to his parents, but he shut those thoughts off before he found himself in a hole he couldn't crawl out of.

"The countless fights over the years and now this?" She let out a shuddering breath. "This is exhausting...I'm exhausted."

"I can tell," He told her softly. The DuBois always had a weird relationship. He had lost count of how many times Tom showed up at their doorstep with a duffel bag, looking miserable and pathetic. Their rows were so loud that sometimes it sounded like they were screaming at each other right there on his living room. They were as dysfunctional as it gets, but everyone seemed to forget that Jazmine was also part of that equation.

"My worst fear used to be the idea of them getting separated, you know?" Her voice sounded distant, almost as if she was talking to herself rather than Huey. "Now I just wish they would. I wish they'd get a divorce. They hate each other, I dunno why the just don't do it already." She sat up straight, urging him to look at her. "Does that make me a horrible person?"

"It makes you a sensible person," He said honestly. "You don't deserve to be caught up in their petty cross fire." She nodded defeatedly, crossing her arms over her chest. Huey was quick to notice the goosebumps that riddled her bare skin, and soon realized that she was only wearing her leotard along with some thighs and a flimsy skirt. "Are you trying to get a cold?"

She shrugged. "I just bolted. Didn't even realized I hadn't brought my jacket." He sighed, taking his own jacket off and throwing it over her shoulders. "Thanks,"

"It's fine." Half of her wardrobe consisted of old hoodies of his that she had sneakily stolen over the years, what was another one?

"Can I crash at your place tonight?" She blurted out. "Just thinking about my mom is making me sick honestly."

"Of course, Granddad won't mind."

"You can't tell him Huey!" She suddenly sounded slightly agitated all over again. "My father can't know! Not yet anyway and if Mr. Freeman finds out-"

"Jazmine," He stopped her, taking a hold of both her shoulders and forcing her to look him in the eyes. "Do you trust me?"

"I...Of course I trust you,"

"Don't worry about it then." He held his gaze for maybe a moment too long. He couldn't help himself, her green eyes contrasted beautifully with the moonlight. "I got you okay?"

He saw her eyes flood again as her lips jutted out. "I know," It came out not any louder than a whisper. He let go of her, letting her posture slump forward.

"Then why are you crying again?"

"It's just that…" Without warning, she wrapped her arms around his torso, burying her face into his chest. "I-I'm so lucky to have you in my life!" She wailed. Huey tensed up instinctively, but soon relaxed. "T-Thank you!"

"If I stuck around then there's a reason." She inhaled shakily in response. He didn't really know what to do with himself, so he just sat there, supporting her back with his arms.

He felt his shirt moisten with tears, and he was quite sure that there was also a bit of snot too, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Jazmine brought out the best in him, even in situations like this. Something told him that he was the lucky one out of the two.

He didn't know how long they had stayed like this, but the moment was interrupted by his phone buzzing inside his pocket. Jazmine then let go of him so he could reach it, and with a sigh he turned down the call. "Aren't you gonna pick that up?"

"It's just Caesar," He said with a shrug. "It's probably nothing important. You ready to go?" She nodded silently. Huey stood up, pulling the girl to her feet.

"Don't thank me," He said suddenly as they walked down the streets. She looked at him with furrowed eyebrows. "It's just my job, being here for you I mean." She smiled sadly at him, taking his hand into her own.

"That goes both ways." She stated. "You know that, right?"

"Yes," He said plainly, but he couldn't have been more honest. "Yes I do." If he wasn't himself maybe he'd have smiled, but the squeeze he offered her hand seemed to get his point across just fine.

People lied. People cheated. People could turn their backs on you in a matter of second just for their selfish gains. Trusting someone was always a gamble, it didn't matter how much you thought you knew them. He was fully aware of that and yet, here he was. Trusting and caring. Letting a side of him that he barely knew himself peek through for the first person he had actually, truly, called his friend.

He could do nothing but hope he wasn't wrong about that.

Okay fuck it, I'll admit: I cried like a little punk writing this part. sue me.

I dunno if it supplied your angsty needs, but y'all better prepare yourselves for a whole lot of that in the future lol.

My girl Jazzy really going through hell and back, I almost feel bad tbh.

Anyway folks, PLEEEEASE let me know what you think! REVIEW & FAVORITE the story so I know if you guys are into it! Don't be shy y'all

Love u guys, keep being awesome!

XOXO

-Ágatha