A/N: YES YES I AM SO VERY SORRY! I know, I was supposed to be on my A game during the summer and it's July and this is my first update in like, two million years. ( ._.) I would tell you why I'm late, but I'm pretty sure you don't want to hear anymore of my bs. To make up for my negilgence to my readers, I'm going to try to get you a new story I'm thinking of. AND I WILL GET IT OUT BY NEXT WEEK. I PROMISE. Once again, so so sorry! Read&Review, por favor? :3

Chapter Eight: The Daddy Issues

"Hey, are y'all the interns?"

Huey and Jazmine glared at him, seeing that he had a huge stack of files in his arms. They had just finished clearing the file room of all the files and boxes, which took them two-thirds of the day. If this guy came in with his papers, they would have stay longer than they wanted to.

"Yeah, you are. Hey!" he yelled at somebody in the hallway. "Interns are in here. Just drop them off on the desk."

Then, five other people, all with the same amount of files, came in and placed the piles in front of the two teenagers. Jazmine sucked her teeth and fell back in her chair. Huey muttered something under his breath that Jazmine couldn't hear, but she was pretty sure there were curse words in his sentence.

"What time are you gonna be here tomorrow? I need to know when I'm gonna get my coffee in the morning."

Huey scoffed. "I don't know, but here's an idea; how about you write down what you want, then you go down to a coffee shop of your choice, and then you can get it your own fu—ow Jazmine!"

Jazmine sent her foot into Huey's shin before he could even finish his sentence. She looked at the lawyer. "You can leave now." Huey glared at Jazmine as he rubbed his leg. "What?" she innocently asked.

"Don't 'what' me, you kicked me in my shin!" he snapped.

Jazmine rolled her eyes. "Huey, if you tell him off, then he'll tell my dad and then my dad will give me this huge lecture on how many strings he had to pull for us to be here working," she explained. "No offense, but I want to spare myself."

"So you decide to kick me?"

She pouted slightly. "I'm sorry."

"You know, when you said we can intern here, I thought we'd be doing actual work for the lawyers here… not filing and going on fucking coffee runs," Huey said, leaning into the chair.

"Hey, I was given false information!" Jazmine protested. "I told you what he told me when we signed up. You can't blame me."

She stared at the giant mountain of manila folders in front of her. There had to been at least 200 different files in her stack alone, all waiting to be put away in its rightful place. She looked over at Huey and sighed.

"There's no way we could even make a dent in this pile by six." She threw her hands in the air. "And two hundred more is gonna be added in the morning. Does my dad hate us? Because I'm pretty sure this is torture."

"Filing isn't torture, Jazmine."

She used all her strength to push her stack next to his. "Then I guess you can do mine for me?" she asked, batting her eyelashes. He rolled his eyes. "Well, it was worth a shot," she muttered to herself.

Huey looked down at his watch. "It's getting late. You think your dad will let us go now?"

She shrugged. "I can go ask." She got up from her seat and walked out of the file room. She continued down the familiar hallway until she reached her dad's office, the door slightly ajar.

A giggle came from the room. "Stop…" someone cooed.

Jazmine blinked her eyes. Who was that? It sure as hell didn't come from her father's mouth, and the voice was too high for it to be her mom's. She didn't want to be nosy and intrude on them, but her curiosity got the best of her.

She immediately wished she hadn't, because she didn't need to see this scene. She saw her dad sitting at his desk, as usual, but his secretary, Danielle was there too, sitting on the top of the desk in front of Tom.

"I'm not doing anything," Tom answered, which was obviously a lie since he was touching Danielle's leg in an extremely inappropriate way and cheating on his wife.

Danielle giggled again before sliding into Tom's lap. "What if Jazmine comes in here? Or her little friend?"

Tom shushed her. "Jazmine's distracted with Huey," he replied simply. Jazmine was confused. She didn't know what her father was implying when he said "distracted", but it pissed her off anyways.

"What about Sarah?"

Jazmine hoped that her dad would see the error of his ways when that came out of Danielle's mouth. She prayed that her father would come to his senses and end whatever this was before it got too far. She pleaded that he didn't want to continue this and forever lose the respect of his daughter.

"Sarah who?"

She felt her heart break instantly, replaced with a coldness that would burden her. She walked away from the scene with a heavy soul. She was mostly disgusted with Tom, so much that she didn't feel that he didn't deserve his "father" title anymore.

"Jaz!" Huey yelled out from the end of the hallway, snapping her out her thoughts. "You were gone for a long time. What did Tom say?" he questioned.

Well, he's pretty busy fucking his secretary, so I didn't get to ask him.

"Umm, he said it was okay," she lied. She stared down at the floor the entire time, knowing that if she actually looked at Huey, she'd probably tell everything. "I'm going with my dad," she told him.

"Alright," he replied. He grabbed his coat from the file room and looked at Jazmine, who was looking down at her nails. "Hey. You okay? You seem out of it."

She flashed a fake smile. "I'm fine, Huey. Go home," she tried to playfully add. She watched him go to the parking garage before she finally called out to him. "Wait!" She yelled out to him, grabbing her coat. He turned around immediately. "Actually, I change my mind. Can you take me home?"

The car ride was quiet, with only the sound of Huey's CD playing in the background. Usually, Jazmine would ask about the person who was rapping, but she was too preoccupied with other matters to question. Her thoughts and questions swirled around in one huge jumble. She didn't know how to describe it. I mean, how can she trust her dad after this? He was the one who told her all about the morals and manners of life, but he was the one to screw up their family.

"Are you going to answer that?" Huey asked after her phone rang for the fourth time in a row. She didn't even notice the vibrations in her lap. She looked down at the name and then immediately back up, shaking her head. "Tom is going to be pretty mad."

Jazmine shrugged her shoulders. "Fuck my dad," she commented, putting her phone in her pocket after turning off the ringer. She scoffed. "I mean, he likes to make sure that I'm innocent and perfect and stuff, but he's the worst person."

Huey stopped the car in front of Jazmine's house. "Look, in a paranoid way, your dad is trying to protect you. Of course, it doesn't even matter, since I'm your best friend, but… all technicalities aside, he's trying his best. Cut him some slack."

Jazmine sniffed. "Yeah, well, you don't really know the whole story so your advice doesn't really work. He did something that I don't think that I'll ever forgive him for."

"Whatever he did, he's still your dad. You can hold a grudge for as long as you want to, but that doesn't change the fact that he's your father."

Jazmine smiled a little. "Why do you always know what to say to make me feel better?"

"After years of knowing what makes you cry, I kind of know what makes you smile, too," he smirked.

Her smile got a little bigger. "See? This is why kept you around: to make me happy," she laughed. She planted a kiss on his cheek before opening her door. "Thanks, Huey," she added before she jumped out of the car.

She walked up to the front of her house. Although he tried his best, Huey didn't make Jazmine feel any better didn't she did when she first caught Tom. He was still her father, but he was also a liar and a cheater. How long had this been going on before someone caught them? Danielle started interning there around the same time Jazmine and Huey did, about six months ago. Jazmine was disgusted; Danielle was 20 years Tom's Junior. Huey was wrong, her dad didn't deserve any slack.

Jazmine woke up from her sleep earlier than usual. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes a couple times before she sat up in the bed. She stretched up and looked over to her right. Just as she thought, he was already starting his day. She threw her legs over the side of the bed to finally pull herself out.

"You finally woke up," Huey remarked as Jazmine groggily went into the kitchen. He looked up from his paper for only a second to see the glare he was getting. "I thought I was going to have to pull you out of bed."

Jazmine scratched the back of her head. "I don't get breakfast?" she asked. He turned a page of his newspaper. "I make you breakfast all the time and I don't get any in return?" she pouted.

"I don't ask for breakfast."

Jazmine rolled her eyes. "Well, you also don't ask me to—"

Huey threw up his hands immediately. "Alright, alright, alright!" he interrupted her, causing Jazmine to smile. "Breakfast makes Jazmine happy. Got it."

She grabbed an apple from the fruit basket on the counter. "Yes. Yes it does," she answered, taking a bite out of the apple. She jumped on the couch next to Huey, leaning into his arm. He then instinctively wrapped his arm will around her. The sense of tranquility and domestic-ness warmed Jazmine. She never wanted to leave the spot.

And then the phone rang.

"Not me," Huey said, turning another page of the newspaper.

Jazmine dug in the back pocket of her shorts to find her phone. She swiftly turned around to see that the phone fell onto the carpet. She pressed the call button without seeing the name on the ID. "Hello?" Jazmine questioned skeptically.

"No, no, no! The hydrangeas arrangements go on the tables of the biggest donors!" she heard her mother yell at someone. "Hello? Jazmine? Are you there?"

Jazmine pulled the phone away from her ear for a second. "Yeah, you do realize you don't have to be yelling straight into the mouthpiece, right?" she reminded her mom.

"Oh honey, I'm just making sure everything is going to be perfect for the donors' picnic," she answered. "Jazmine, you are coming, aren't you? Your father would just love to see you again.

Yeah, because the way that she screamed at him, threatening to expose his secrets and potentially ruin his campaign to be the district attorney for Woodcrest, her father was probably dying to reunite with her.

"I don't know… I mean, I don't have a ride or anything…"

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I already have a car on its way to your apartment," her mom replied. Jazmine blinked, even though her mom couldn't see it. "It should be there in five minutes. Don't be late!"

Jazmine sighed as she hung up the phone. She got up and stretched to the sky. "Great. I have to go and perform a show in front of hundreds of rich, old people at a picnic!" she said, feigning her excitement. Huey grunted in response. She slapped his newspaper out of his hands before jumping into his lap. "You should come with me, to keep me sane," she asked softly, rubbing his shoulders. She pouted her lips. "Please?"

"As fun as that sounds," he started, resting his forehead on hers. "I have to go to the office and work on a case."

She scowled. "You suck."

"You swallow."

She smirked and playfully slapped him on the cheek. Her phone rang for a second time, probably her mother calling to tell her the car was outside waiting for her. She groaned before climbing off. She blew a kiss in his direction and walked out of the apartment.

"Great," Jazmine muttered to herself as she saw the driver of her town car standing on the sidewalk, holding up a sign with her last name on it, waiting for her to show up. "Just… great." Did her parents always have to overdo everything? She awkwardly walked up to the car.

"Miss Dubois," the driver said when he swung the back door open.

She signed. She stared out the window of the town car. Three hours and twenty-two minutes. That was a current record of how long Jazmine could stand being around her family before she was in a pissed off attitude.

She was pretty sure she was going to break it today.

"This is fucking stupid."

The new record: two hours and seventeen minutes.

She should've insisted that Huey come with her. She could feel her blood pressure go up every time she heard someone say anything about how great her dad is to her. She should've bribed him, or gave him an ultimatum or something like that. It was like Tom and everything around her changed her into a more irritable Jazmine. She already cursed more today than she had in the whole month.

"I hate this fucking outfit," she said to no one.

Jazmine sat in the chair in front of the vanity mirror, smoothing her dress down in the front. She rolled her eyes once more at herself. Her dress was made in 1867, her strawberry blonde hair was up in high bun, and she was wearing goddamn Mary Janes. Mary fucking Janes. She wasn't twelve in the nineteenth century, so why did her mom dress her up in this shit?

"Don't you just look so adorable?" Sarah cooed as she tapped her way into the room. Jazmine put on a small smile. "How do you like your new room? I remodeled it to make it better than your old room."

Jazmine had to admit; the room did look good, way nicer than her tiny one bedroom apartment in Baltimore, and bigger than her room back on Timid Deer Lane. But it wasn't better, per se. She didn't grow up in this room. She never spilled pink nail polish on the carpet and she didn't try to learn Calculus at the desk. The alarms never rung twenty minutes late on school days, the closet hasn't turned into a war zone looking for the perfect shorts. This wasn't her room; it was just four walls with a large space that was deemed hers. The memories weren't there.

"Mrs. Dubois, Mr. Dubois is ready to make his speech and introduce his family."

She hadn't heard her voice in a year. That high-pitched, fake, white girl tone that had a hint of valley girl in it. Jazmine could pick it out in a lineup. Of course she would be here. She had to be as close to Tom as possible without actually being on top of him.

"Oh my God! Jazmine! I haven't seen you in forever!"

There was a reason for that. I fucking hate you.

She could've easily just punched her in the throat right then and there, ending any assumptions that they would still be friendly with each other. Instead, she simply got up and walked behind her mom. She stopped in front of the happy girl.

"Danielle! Hi!" she faked, even giving the girl a giant hug. She smiled and laughed. "It has been a while, huh? How are you doing? Still fucking my dad, I assume?"

Danielle's smile faltered and fell on impact. She cleared her throat of the lump as best as she could. "Jazmine, look—"

Jazmine put her hand up. "Save it. Literally, you could tell me the meaning of life, and I'd still hate your fucking little homewrecking ass." She turned back to look forward, and hurried up to be behind Sarah. Downstairs, Tom was talking to people in the kitchen. She considered briefly turning around and running out of the house. Maybe she can get Huey to pick her up at the hill.

Tom spotted Sarah and Jazmine. "Sarah, Jesus. How long does it take to put on jewelry? Do you not realize how important this is for me?" he questioned her. Jazmine rolled her eyes. All he talked about was himself. "Jazmine," he said simply.

"Tom."

He gritted his teeth together. "Would it kill you to call me dad, just for today?"

She scoffed. "I don't know; would it kill you to tell the truth for once?"

Tom laughed and shook his head. "You got a lot of nerve, young lady."

"Oh really? I have nerve? Well, why don't we call Danielle who she really is? Because 'Campaign Manager' is such bullshit."

"Jazmine!" her mother scolded. "Not today," she reminded her. She looked at Tom. "Everyone needs to be presentable and on their best behaviors." She looked back at Jazmine. "Even if that means faking it. Now go out there, and act like we're a happy family, or so help us God…"

Sarah's tone meant everything. Jazmine stood up straight and stood next to her mom, while Sarah followed Tom, who already had a huge smile on his face. Jazmine followed suit, putting on a small, but effective smile. Lights flashed from every direction, hoping to get a good picture of the District Attorney and his family.

"Welcome, family and friends, boys and girls, to my family's picnic," he announced, earning a hearty applause. "As always to my right, my wonderful and outstanding wife, Sarah."

Bullshit! Pure bullshit!

"And standing next to her, my beautiful daughter, who took time out of her busy, busy schedule as a pre-med student and Johns Hopkins Hospital to come and support her family, my sweetheart, Jazmine."

She smiled and waved at the crowd, which was bigger than she expected. People that would be watching every bite, every laugh, every step. One small fuck-up and she could potentially ruin her dad's reelection campaign.

Good thing Jazmine didn't care.

She was just there to take pictures, lie to a few people on how great of a father Tom was, and hopefully she'd be out in a couple hours. Unfortunately, she remembered that her dad loved to talk for hours and host parties for even longer.

A cater waiter came around with a tray full of flutes of champagne. Jazmine grabbed one before he walked towards another person. She wanted to just down the drink right there, but that was considered "unladylike" and she didn't need her mom yelling at her again.

"Yo, this party you have is lame as fuck," she heard a voice said, coming closer to her. Jazmine smiled at her. At least she knew somebody here. Cindy looked her up and down. "Okay, why the fuck are you wearing somebody's grandmama's dress?"

Jazmine sighed and shook her head. "Please… don't remind me," she replied, trying to forget about the atrocity she had on. She looked over at Cindy. "Why are you even here? I thought your dad and mom always voted Republican."

Cindy grabbed a champagne from the cater waiter. "Well, my mom never misses a big party, whether she supports the cause or not, and my dad loves to get to bent on free liquor. How long you gonna be here for?"

"Hopefully not long."

Cindy took a sip of her champagne. She shrugged. "At least y'all got the good shit. The food though…" she started, shaking her head to symbolize how much it sucked. "I ain't eating no braised quail or whatever the fuck it is. That shit looks nasty."

Jazmine smiled. "Five Guys after we leave?"

"You speaking my language, Dubois," Cindy laughed. She looked out into the middle of the lawn and saw Sarah walking this way. She took another sip of her champagne and looked towards Jazmine. "Looks like your mom is coming this way…"

"Fucking great," Jazmine muttered under her breath. She downed the rest of her drink before her mom came her way.

"Cynthia!" Sarah exclaimed in a high-pitched voice when she finally reached the girls. "Haven't seen you in a while. How are you?"

"Just peachy, Mrs. Dubois," Cindy said.

She turned toward Jazmine. "Jazmine, there's this wonderful girl I would love for you to meet. She's just like you: she is in National Honor Society, she has great grades, and she's thinking about going into the medical field. I think you should go talk to her about your experience."

Jazmine scoffed. "You want to talk to some random girl about med school!" she said in a hushed tone. Sarah gave her a stern, motherly look. "But… but… I don't wanna," she whined. Sarah kept her same look. "Fine!" Jazmine groaned. Sarah smiled and walked away. "Come on," Jazmine said, pulling Cindy towards the table she had to go to.

"What?" she asked confused. "Your mom told you, not me."

Jazmine ignored her and continued walking until she reached the girl sitting at a table by herself. "Hi. I'm Jazmine, the girl you're supposed to talk to."

The girl smiled. "Hi! I'm Carrie." The girl offered her hand.

Cindy laughed. "You mean like 'Carrie, the girl who killed niggas with her mind' Carrie?"

"Who?"

Jazmine smirked, but rolled her eyes anyway. "Cindy. She's too young for that reference," Jazmine explained.

"Wait…" Carrie started, still confused on what the older girls were talking about. "Who is Carrie?"

"Don't worry about it," Cindy finally said. She pulled out a chair and sat in front Carrie. "We'll talk to you about college. You should probably take notes 'cause… this is some great ass advice."

Jazmine sat down next to Cindy. This ought to be interesting to hear, considering the fact that Cindy rarely went to class. But, since Jazmine didn't really want to do it, and Cindy offered, she went ahead and let Cindy tell Carrie what she knew about college.

"First of all, ain't nobody popular in college. Yeah, you may hear a few stories about some dudes, but it ain't like high school where everybody know that one dude," Cindy clarified. "High school is a popularity contest, college ain't."

"Ooh! I got one!" Jazmine chimed in. "Don't accept a drink from a guy that you don't know." Was it the advice her mother wanted her to give to Carrie? Probably not, but it was still vital for her to know.

Cindy snapped her fingers. "Right! Don't you take no damn drink from no nigga that you don't know personally," she said. "They can put some shit that shouldn't be in there, and you won't know it, and niggas can take advantage of you. Uh-uh. Don't do that shit."

Carrie blinked her eyes. "What about studying and school work?"

"Who the fuck does work in college?"

Jazmine rolled her eyes. "Don't listen to her," Jazmine finally stepped in. "You just have to make sure that you have linked good balance of studying and working and having fun with other people," she explained. "Otherwise, when you actually grow up you're gonna have really bad people skills, and no one would like you because you're weird."

"You mean like your boyfriend?" Cindy giggled.

"No, not like Huey!" Jazmine defended. "He's different…" She turned to Carrie. "He's not weird or anything, he just misunderstood. Like Carrie was." She stopped herself. "Also, watch Carrie before you go to college. How the hell do you not know about that movie?"

"I don't—"

Jazmine waved her hand. "It doesn't really matter. Just… Don't be that girl in college, alright?" She told her before getting up with Cindy. "Good luck!"

Cindy walked next to Jazmine. "Speaking of really bad people skills… how is Huey?"

"Great transition, Cin," Jazmine said sarcastically. "That was really A plus work." Cindy gave her a look. "And… you can tell that I am stalling the question as well. Good job again, Cindy."

"Jaz, if you don't answer that question the next five seconds…"

"He's okay because he has commitment issues too!" Jazmine blurted out. She took a deep breath. "After I told him about my dad, he told me about his dad and how he never met him and how he couldn't say 'I love you' either. And I don't know why, but all of a sudden it made it not okay anymore! Like we're both in this relationship that probably won't go anywhere!"

"How long have you been keeping that in?"

"I don't know," she pouted. "A while. Is that a bad thing? That I eventually want him to commit and I can't? That's a bad thing! I am a bad person!"

"Maybe you're thinking too much into this…"

Jazmine shook her head. "Maybe I am… I can just cross that bridge when we come to it. I mean, I'm not saying it anytime soon, and I'm pretty sure he's not either. Maybe I just needed to let that out."

"Look," Cindy said. She sat down on a random table in the middle of the backyard. "Riley had the same problem. At first, he was really uncomfortable was saying it because of the same reason as Huey, but I just gave him some time… and eventually, it came out naturally. No pressure, no nothing. Just let him do it on his own opportunity."

"Wow. That was good advice."

Cindy shrugged. "And if he doesn't want to say it, then you can just beat it out of him." Jazmine giggled. Cindy's smile on and looked towards the patio. "Speaking of noncommittal boyfriends…"

Jazmine turned in the same direction as Cindy and saw Huey walking into the backyard. She also saw him get stopped by three of Tom's bodyguards. Jazmine jumped up. "Shit, shit, shit," she muttered, walking towards the scene.

"Hey man, I can't let you in if you ain't on the list," one of the bodyguards said.

Jazmine stood next to Huey. "Hey wait!" she said really quickly. She wrapped her arm around his waist. "He's with me! Just put him on the list and let him go," she said, waving her hand.

"Miss Dubois, I can't add anyone to the list. That's what your dad said."

"Well, forget what my dad said, and put him on the list," Jazmine retorted. "My dad just probably forgot to put him on the list. It's a little mistake, and it could be fixed really quick without any problems."

"I'm sorry, but he told me specifically—"

Huey sighed. "Jazmine, just forget it."

"I'm not gonna forget it! Fuck what my dad said!" she snapped.

Sarah walked up to Jazmine. "Sweetie, what seems to be the problem?" She asked. She looked over at Huey, who had her daughter's arm wrapped around his waist. "Huey," she said in a surprised tone. "I haven't seen you in a while… and I am surprised to see you here."

Huey scratched the back of his head. "Uhh… yeah. Jazmine invited me, and it looks like it's a private party, so I'm going to head home," he answered.

Jazmine pulled him tighter to her. "No, you're not. He can stay here because he's my boyfriend and he's welcome here, right?" Jazmine said. She smirked when she saw Sarah, for once, was out of something to say.

"Jazmine… this is a private party," she started. "You should have told us earlier, so we could have put him on the list. But I'm afraid he's going to have to leave."

"Well, if he leaves, then I leave."

Sarah gritted her teeth together. "Jazmine, can I talk to you inside?" She looked up at Huey. "Privately?"

Jazmine gasped overdramatically. "Anything you want to say to me, you can say it in front of my boyfriend, Huey. We don't keep secrets from each other."

Sarah smiled. "I'm gonna go get your father," she announced, walking away. "In the meantime, why don't you and Huey go to your room? Me in your father will meet you there."

Jazmine glared at her mom before she grabbed Huey and walked inside the house, going up the stairs. "Are you using me as a way to get back your parents?" Huey asked. Huey raised an eyebrow. "Is that what you invited me? Did you know this is going to happen?"

She shook her head. "Huey, I would never do that to you. Although… since the opportunity has come up, I might as well use it to my advantage. I'm not using you, I'm just trying to make a bad situation better again."

Huey smirked. "Yeah, you're definitely using me," he replied, following Jazmine. "What are you wearing?"

Jazmine sighed. "Don't remind me," she repeated. She led him into her room and pointed towards the bed. He sat down immediately, while Jazmine went into her massive closet. "I'm changing out of this right now." She threw off the ugly dress as fast as she could and put on what she had before she came over. She removed the hair tie and shook out her curls. She smiled and stepped out of the closet.

"Better?" Huey asked.

She sighed and sat down next to Huey on her bed, talking to her legs under her. She leaned on his arm. "Much better," she replied. She looked at him and kissed him on the cheek and rested her forehead on his shoulder. "I'm sorry that you have to go through this."

"It's okay."

She heard footsteps coming in the hall. "Well, here comes Tom."

Both of Jazmine's parents walked into the room, followed by two assistants, one of them, Danielle. Jazmine rolled her eyes. Why the hell did her dad putting her in here? Sarah closed the door behind everyone.

Tom pointed to Huey. "You. Out. And you," he finished, pointing at Jazmine. "You have a lot to explain."

"I don't have to explain anything to you." As Huey stood up, Jazmine pulled on his arm, setting them back down. "No, Huey can stay right here. He's not going anywhere," she reiterated.

Tom glared at her. "Are you doing this to spite me?"

"Daddy, I would never do anything to spite you," Jazmine said innocently.

Tom huffed. "He is a domestic terrorist and I don't want you dating him!" He yelled. He clenched his teeth together. "Find some other boy to date."

"I don't want to date some other boy," Jazmine slowed down. "I want to date Huey Freeman. And second of all, you're not gonna talk about him like he's not even in the fucking room."

"There is no goddamn way in hell I'm going to let you cost me the election!"

This was a repeat of last year. At the last donors' picnic, instead of wearing what the designer wanted Jazmine to wear, she wore one of her own dresses, deemed slightly skimpy by Tom. Eventually, it led to the huge screaming match that everyone wanted to avoid and Jazmine not talking to her parents for almost five months. Now, it wasn't about the dress, where Huey, or anything. It was all about Tom, trying to control his family. It pissed Jazmine off to no extent, and if she had to yell at him every year for the rest of her life, so be it.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Jazmine yelled. "Stop trying to fucking regulate me! I'm fucking twenty-one years old. You think I'm the problem? You think I'm the one who needs to be told what to do? Actually, father, you're the fucking problem. You're the one who needs to be restrained, since you like fucking around all the time with other women." She stood up and laughed. "Actually, it's one woman, and she's barely that!" Her eyes darted to Danielle.

"Jazmine—"

She pointed at Danielle. "No, you can shut the fuck up! You're part of the problem!"

"Wait…" Huey started. "Didn't we go to school with her?"

"Yeah. She graduated a year before us," she explained to him. "So to recap, Tom's fucking Danielle, my mom's covering it up, and you're probably the only person in this room to not have a fucked up family." She looked at Huey. "Congratulations."

Tom tapped his foot on the floor. "Are you done?" he finally asked.

Jazmine smiled. "Yes, Tom," she started. She grabbed Huey's arm in he stood up. "In fact, I'm fucking done with all of you. I'm fucking done with you, I'm fucking done with mom, and I'm definitely fucking done with you, Danielle. See you next year!" She said as she walked out of the room with Huey.

She sighed and smiled as she got down on the first floor. "I feel better."

"I bet you do," Huey said.

Jazmine's phone vibrated in her pocket. She quickly read the message. "Huh. Cindy already left the picnic. Can we go and get some food?" She asked Huey as they walked to Huey's car. "I didn't want this crap they had here."

"You didn't have to defend me… you know that right?"

Jazmine rolled her eyes. "I know I didn't have to, but I wanted to," she reminded him. "Just pay me back by feeding me. Seriously, I'm extremely hungry." Huey smirked and nodded his head. Jazmine followed behind him, and suddenly jumped on his back. "Yah, pony!" She giggled as Huey took her the rest of the way to the car. And as she snuggled into his neck, breathing in his cologne, she realized that she didn't want whatever this is, to change.