Hey guys! New chapter!
I'm really sorry for the late update. I meant to post this last week, but y'know how life just alters your plans -_-. On top of that, my ass is sick! Smh, AND my best friend's birthday's tomorrow. We supposed to eat at a restaurant and go clubbin' later. We'll just see about that lol. Anyways, special recognition to the ones I love!
MissG2020: Lol, yeah Jin is a dumbass. Can't even lie right lol. Jazmine's tattoo will be discussed in later chaps lol. And aww I'm jealous! I want a tattoo, but I'm a punk lol. Thanks for the review girl!
Jazavelli: Lol I understand. It took forever for me to update, so I know people must've forgotten some things. Glad you were happy to do it though :). Yes, Jin is stupid as hell. Who lies like that? lol. Lol the black cop is silly. You'll see him again in later chaps, and trust the silliness will continue lol. Tom is just...a square lol. There's no other word to describe him. Yep, Sarah's the cool parent lol. Glad you loved that scene! Yes, Huey's fallen head over heels for Jaz lol. You know Huey gon' have to put niggas in their place if they step to either one of them incorrect lol. But I agree, Jaz tryna have standards, but they some freaks, they need to hurry this date up lol. Ya'll remember the chapter where they were kissin' and moanin' all on each other lol. Haha, thanks. Riley's cool :) Are Crystal and Tina gonna take down Jin? Hmm, we'll see lol. The Jackson fam need to work on their relationship pronto. You won't see much of that this chapter though, unfortunately. :( In due time, though. Her dad? he's in this chapter! :D Thanks for the review girl. Hope you like this chapter!
Schweetpea1870: Lol yeah, I know it's been awhile since I've updated, so I understand you having to read it again. Glad you still love it, girl! :D LOL Ceez is silly. That's one of my favorite moments lol. But yeah, the Jackson family need to rebuild their relationship. It's not in this chapter, but soon. Tom is such a lame, lol. He be havin' me weak though. Such a cornball. And naw he ain't slick lol. We all know what that nigga doin'. Yeah Cindy got a little defensive didn't she? lol. Ceez know he feelin' her. He better go'on head and make another move lol. Yes, they are always getting caught! lol Like damn, can ya'll think before ya'll start feelin on each other? lol. Glad you find them cute though! xD That's what I was aiming for. And oh yess lawd, Huey's nigga instincts will bein full effect lol. He already be trippin' about her belly ring lol. *Sigh* Jin Taylor is just...ugh! How you gon' get caught up in your own damn lie? Lol. You gon' lie, be good at it. LOL girl I've been thinkin' about inserting the Mrs. Jackson quote a while back, but I was like, nahh I'll wait lol. Glad everyone liked that scene! Oh no worries, Jin will really get his. You're not going to believe the shit in this chap, but next chap is just ridiculous lol. I'm halfway through it right now. Hope you like this chap girl. Thanks for reviewing! xD
ButterflyEyes24: Aww I'm glad you loved it enough to read it again :) Thank you! Mm-hmm, Ceez know he feelin' Cin lol. They'll be together soon, no worries :D. Hell yeah Huey's sprung lol. Ohh trust Jaz ain't gon' have no stupid tats lol. No ma'am. Older Jazmine will have a bangin' tat! In the future though! :P Yes, Riley is a real man. Stacia got a good one. I'm jealous lol. She'll be good though. LOL everyone says the same thing about Jin. He's so stupid for getting caught up in his own lie, huh? He's a dumbass for even lying like that. Smh, oh well lol. Crazy ass fam. Aww thanks :) Personally, I've always wondered how the minor characters' lives would turn out after the kids grew up. And you made sense to me lol. I'm glad you like the story once again. Thanks for reviewing! Hope you like this chapter.
Deonte: Haha, aww thank you! That's so sweet :D Hope you like this chap!
NatashaBryant: Thank you! :D! Glad you like it! And the update is NOW! XD!
Kitty: Woow, just as I'm about to post my chapter, I get a notification that you reviewed lol. Glad I caught you just in time! Aww, thanks! Yeah, I just try to do something different. I love that you love the story! Thank you! Hope you like this chapter! :D
Thanks to all who favorited, followed and read my story, even the silent readers. I see you! O_o lol lemme stop bein' weird.
DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE OCs!
Just wanna say R.I.P. to Sherman Hemsley aka George Jefferson. That was my dude, yo. He made me laugh throughout my childhood, and still does as I look at the old shows. Thank God he died of natural causes. It's not like he was murdered or drugged himself to death. Tragic that he's not here, but it'd be even more tragic if he left this world like Amy Winehouse or Kurt Cobain. :( Amy Winehouse was my girl too, but I knew that shit was inevitable. Smh. Anyways, just thought I'd say that.
This chap will piss you off. I'm givin' yall a fair warning. No one gets hurt...yet. Well...no one we care about gets hurt lol. Ya'll just gon' have to read it for yourselves. This chapter is long af for no reason, so be prepared to do some readin'! :) Enjoy!
CHAPTER 24: FRIENDS AND FOES
"One more lap, the usual cool down, and we can all go home." Coach Salem instructed the female Woodcrest basketball team. Cindy grunted, loud enough for her teammates to hear, but not enough for her coach to hear. They lightly giggled, but the coach did hear that. She turned around, giving everyone the evil eye. They all just stared back at her as if they were the most obedient souls you ever did meet.
"Run. Now." She commanded. Just like that, the girls took off.
Cindy…she just wasn't into it.
She rolled her eyes as she ran her lap around the gym. Don't get me wrong, she loved ballin' with a passion, but after all that's been going down, she didn't even feel like being there. She just wanted to skip out, but she was stronger than that. She knew this little phase was just that: a phase. She'd get over it by next week.
After practice, she ran into the locker room and picked up her belongings. She said bye to her teammates and ran out. She planned on walking home, but much to her surprise, her mother was outside on the curb in her deep chocolate business attire, waiting for her. She was so excited to see the woman, she dropped her things on the curb and ran over to hug her.
"Mom!" She shrieked, nearly knocking the poor woman over. Lauren McPhearson laughed as she held her only child.
"Hi honey. You seem so surprised to see me. Why is that?"
Cindy didn't feel it was necessary to be a smart-ass at the moment. She knew her parents worked, and they worked hard. But she barely saw them because of it. She knew they didn't intentionally neglect her, but she couldn't help but feel somewhat neglected.
"Mom, I'm just happy to see you. Is that a crime?" She joked as she pulled away from the embrace to pick up her things. Her mother laughed again.
"Not at all, sweetheart." She replied and walked her daughter to her side of the car after she had everything. "Now let me take you home so you could get cleaned up."
Cindy was so happy that her mom was with her, but she couldn't help but wonder why she picked her up.
"Mom," she asked as they finally got in the car.
"Yes hon?" Her mother asked, starting the car up.
Cindy looked at her mom a little funny. "You okay?"
Mrs. McPhearson looked over at her and tilted her head.
"I'm fine, sweetie." She answered in curiosity. "The question is, are you okay?"
Cindy smiled again. "Yeah. Just…why are you picking me up?"
Lauren sighed pleasantly as they both put on their seatbelts. "Well, I requested a two week vacation, and my boss was reluctant, but he let me have it. So, you'll be seeing me for two weeks!"
Cindy almost squealed, but her inner toughness wouldn't allow her to. Instead she plastered a giant grin on her face, and let out a little laugh.
"Wow. I can't believe he let you do that." Her mother laughed too as they finally pulled off.
"Yeah I know. I'm glad he did though. You don't know how much I've missed you guys."
Cindy couldn't stop smiling. Finally, finally things were starting to come around. After all the bullshit that's happened lately, she finally felt great! She was tired from basketball practice, and matter of fact, all she wanted to do was take a nice long shower and rest up.
That is, before her mother had arrived.
Now, she just wanted to stay with her mother all day.
"I missed you too, mom."
Nothing could possibly ruin this day for her.
Ding-dong.
Ding-dong.
"Boy! Get the door." Granddad yelled at his eldest grandson for no reason, seeing as the boy was sitting right across from him.
Huey huffed and stood up from the kitchen table to answer the door. Ignoring his granddad's warning about him 'huffin' and puffin', he opened it to find his brother standing there, his girlfriend in tow.
"Where's your key?" Huey questioned in annoyance. Riley and Stacia walked in after he stood out of the way of the door. Riley helped Stacia out of her peacoat before taking his off.
"I left it here." He said, sounding annoyed at his brother's annoyance. "Why you care for, nigga?"
Huey snorted. "What kind of question is that? Your literacy level is off. Fix that."
"Nigga, if you don't -"
"Ya'll better stop!" Stacia yelled, finally closing the door behind her. "I ain't come up in here to listen to this mess."
The brothers looked at each other before looking at her.
"Then, why did you come here?" Huey bluntly asked. "You know that's all we do."
Riley sucked his teeth.
"Nigga, she can come over!" He defended, hanging the coats up in the front closet.
Stacia cosigned with a nod and a small smile. "That's right. I can come over. I'm practically family!"
Huey rolled his eyes before walking off into the kitchen again. "Whatever." The couple followed him.
"Yo, practice was a bitch today, man." Riley expressed as he took off his black gloves and his black skully.
"Boy! Watch ya mouth!" The Freeman boys' legal guardian shouted to his youngest grandson. "And make a plate for baby girl. You know I taught ya'll better than that. Show a lady some respect."
Riley shook his head. "Granddad, can I even get in the house before you start goin' off on me?"
"Nigga hush! Just do as I say!"
Riley sighed as Stacia giggled behind him. Huey just continued to eat the salad that he prepared, since he refused to eat any of Granddad's steak and potatoes. He buttered those potatoes too much for Huey's liking, and red meat and Huey just don't mix.
Riley walked over to the stove, took out two Dixie paper plates from the counter and proceeded to fixing both him and Stacia's food. Stacia pulled off her pink and green gloves and folded it up. Granddad changed his sour demeanor to a cheerful one as he looked to her.
"Hey little baby."
She waved with a big Colgate smile as she took her seat beside Huey and placed her gloves in her lap.
"Hi, Mr. Freeman." She shyly greeted back.
"You keepin' my grandson in check?"
She giggled again. "Always."
Granddad smiled back. "That's good. That boy better behave."
"He does."
"Oh!" Granddad exclaimed, taken aback by the bass in her voice. She laughed.
"Aye now!" Riley interrupted. "Why ya'll talkin' about me like I ain't standin' here?"
"Shut yo' ass and hurry up and fix cutie pie's plate! And pour me some more orange juice."
Riley shook his head again. That old nigga steady fussin' for no reason.
After Riley fixed both plates, and gave Granddad his juice, he took a seat at the table, sitting between Stacia and Granddad.
He sighed as he realized he had to sit next to Granddad. He looked to his brother.
"Uh, Huey-"
"Nope." He instantly cut his little brother off. He knew what he wanted. Riley sucked his teeth.
"Bitch." He muttered.
"Aye!" Granddad yelled obnoxiously. "Watch yo' damn mouth!"
Stacia laughed. They were so funny.
Lying on her stomach, Jazmine worked on her Oceanography homework, possibly the easiest thing she's done since she started high school. She always had to play music in the background. Without it, she'd be bored, and when you're bored you're disinterested. When you're disinterested, you're not focused. When you're not focused, you're easily distracted. Easy distractions could lead to procrastination. Procrastination could lead to incomplete work. Incomplete work could lead to a zero. Zeros are F's. And she did not want an F for incomplete work because of procrastination because of easy distractions because of not focusing because of disinterest because of boredom because of no music.
So let's just say, music played an important role in her life. She needed it. She smiled as she heard the lyrics to the song.
When I feel what I feel
Sometimes it's hard to tell you so
You may not be in the mood to learn what you think you know
There are times when I find
You want to keep yourself from me
When I don't have the strength; I'm just a mirror of what I see
As if on cue, her phone buzzed in her back pocket. She pulled it out and smiled at the text.
-Find out where you want to go yet? -Huey
Her closed-mouthed smile bloomed into a full on grin while she texted back.
-Movies…and maybe dinner? :) -JayBaby
She put the phone down beside her and went back to her homework.
But at your best, you are love
You're a positive motivating force within my life
If you ever feel the need to wonder why
Let me know, let me know
She got a quick text back.
-Don't smile…
She snorted at that reply.
…I got you, though. –Huey
"Aww!" She cooed aloud, still cheesing hard.
-Thanks babe! I love you! xD *Muah!* -JayBaby
She giggled as she typed her message into her phone. She knew how he'd react.
When you feel what you feel
Oh, how hard for me to understand
So many things have taken place before this love affair began
She only had one more question left and she couldn't seem to finish it due to her current distraction that is her boyfriend.
But if you feel, oh, like I feel
Confusion can give way to doubt
For there are times when I fall short of what I say,
What I say I'm all about, all about
She felt the phone vibrate on her arm and picked it up to read the new text.
-You are so extra. I love you, too.
And why did you change your signature to 'JayBaby'? Is Cindy your influence? –Huey
She giggled and rolled her eyes.
-No DAD! I thought it sounded cute. Plus 'Jaz' is so…boring. –JayBaby
But at your best, you are love
You're a positive motivating force within my life
If you ever feel the need to wonder why
Let me know, let me know
She finally finished the last of her homework and threw it aside. She was so ready to be done with that! She stood up and stretched her legs and her back. She heard her phone buzzing again and practically leapt to get it.
Eager ass.
She expected to find another text, but the phone ended up ringing. She picked it up and answered it.
"Hello?" She couldn't stop smiling.
"You know who it is." She giggled at his bored reply.
Tell me what it is (Tell me what it is)
Make believe, there's no need to make believe
"You've got such a way with the ladies, Huey." She said, voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Yeah, well I got you, so I must not be that bad." She could practically hear him smirking on the other end.
"Whatever." She rolled her eyes, still smiling. "Why didn't you just text me back?"
"It's annoying. Plus I know you missed hearing the sound of my voice." He joked. She laughed.
"Not true." She lied, blushing.
"Oh, really?" He questioned. "Is that music I hear in the background?"
"No." She quickly replied, lying again. He snorted.
"Jazmine, I hear it. It sounds like you're playing love songs. Is that Aaliyah?"
"Shut up!" She playfully scolded before laughing again. "You're not supposed to point out stuff like that!"
He snorted again. "What am I supposed to do then? Act like I don't hear it?"
"Yes!" She stressed. "And go with the flow. That's what normal people do."
Okay, even he had to laugh at that statement. She laughed too.
"Jaz, we're far from normal." He reminded her.
She sighed, feeling giddy inside at the sound of his voice. "Yeah, we are. But that just makes us extraordinary."
She knew he was rolling his eyes.
"So cliché."
Look beyond your own (Look beyond your own)
Try and find, find another place for me
"Well it's true."
"Maybe. I know you missed me, though."
She rolled her eyes at his arrogance. "How do you know?"
"Because I missed you, too." She smiled again and let him go on. "Since you're a hopeless romantic, I know you missed me. So don't lie."
She sighed.
"Huey, you know I missed you. Stop it, you're embarrassing me."
"Why? It's just us."
"Huey!"
'Cause
At your best, you are love
He snorted at her response.
"Okay, fine. I'll stop. You should come over, though."
"That's what I planned on doing. What's going on over there?"
He sighed. "Nothing. Riley and Stacia are over here watching something on Netflix. Granddad went out to find someone to fix the hole in our room. I'm just sitting at the kitchen table, waiting for you to come over…now."
Oh…demanding, aren't we?
She smiled at his attitude. "I'm coming babe. Calm down."
"I'll be waiting." She giggled again.
You're a positive motivating force within my life
If you ever feel the need to wonder why
"Bye. Love you."
Let me know,
"Love you, too."
Let me know…
Click.
She shook her head after she clicked off. That boy and his impatience. What was she supposed to do? Teleport?
She stuffed her phone in her pants pocket and walked over to her dresser. She opened the top left drawer for a fresh pair of socks. Just as she pulled out her green and red polka dot ones, her phone vibrated in her pocket again. She picked it up and looked at the screen.
Huey
"Yes?" She answered politely.
"On second thought, I'm coming over. Who's over there?"
She smiled. At least they'd be alone.
"Nobody but me."
"Oh damn." He sounded surprised, though his voice was still calm. She smirked. "Why didn't you suggest that earlier then?"
"Because you were so adamant about me coming over your place. Commanding me like a child."
"…Whatever. I'm comin'."
"Well hurry up and get off the phone!" She joked. He sighed, making her giggle.
"Whatever." He repeated before clicking off. She clicked off and squealed. They were finally going to be alone!
Then, her smile dropped, right along with her phone and her socks.
Wait. They…were finally going to be…alone. No parents, no friends, no annoying siblings…nobody.
The very thought not only excited Jazmine, but it scared her too. What if they go too far? What if their kisses turn into make-out sessions? What if their make-out sessions turn into…something else?
Her body shivered at the mere thought of them doing…something else. She wanted to do it, sure. That's why she was nervous about them being alone together with raging hormones. But she was nervous because it's just something she's never done before. She wasn't even sure if she was ready, and if she was, did he have the right stuff to go all the way? She was not about to be a teenage baby mama.
Plus, they haven't even gone on a proper date yet. They needed to hurry that up though. She could control herself when he could control himself, but if he couldn't...shoot, her purified days would be over.
She inhaled and exhaled a shaky breath before she finally bent down to pick up her socks and phone. She placed them back in the drawer. She put her phone back in her pocket and went back over to her bed to put her homework away and into her bag. She was about to walk out the room, but backed up to go back to her dresser again.
"Pure Seduction." She read one of her Victoria's Secret perfume bottles aloud. She shook her head. What was she trying to do, kill him?
She looked at another one and gasped. "Oh I forgot about this one!" She said, picking up one that read Vanilla Lace. That one would do. It wasn't too strong, but it smelled great. She sprayed a good amount on her wrist and trailed it over her body.
She smiled after placing it back on the dresser and sighed. That's good. She thought and dashed down the stairs into the kitchen.
And please don't ask why she was in a hurry.
She opened the cabinet above the microwave and pulled out a box of Act II butter popcorn. She knew Huey didn't eat that stuff, but she did. For him, she opened the fridge and pulled out some pre-cut pineapples, Granny Smith apples, Mandarin oranges, and strawberries. They were already conveniently placed in a big bowl, so she picked that up and put it on the counter.
She was about to take the plastic off of the popcorn bag when she heard a firm knock on the front door. She put it on the counter and sprinted to the door, unlocking it.
"Come in!" She yelled. Before scurrying back into the kitchen.
Huey rolled his eyes as he pushed open the door and closed it behind him. "Jazmine!" he yelled, not knowing where she went.
"In here!" She shouted back. He sighed and pulled off his coat, placing it on the coat rack. He easily slipped out of his shoes and met up with her in the kitchen.
Leaning against the wall, he stared at his girlfriend popping the bag of popcorn in the microwave.
"Jazmine, why didn't you just open the door?"
She shrugged. "I just wanted to hurry up and pop this." She said, referring to the popcorn. His eyebrow arched.
"What's the rush?"
She shrugged again and walked over to him to steal a quick kiss. His face twisted in confusion. That kiss was weird. It was like she really didn't want to kiss him. She didn't even look him in his eyes like she normally did.
"…You okay?" He asked, as she turned her back to him to throw the plastic wrapper away.
"Mm hmm." She replied in a peppy voice and kept her back turned as she stood right in front of the microwave.
He studied her. She was acting a little strange, and he couldn't understand why. He watched her as she continued to stare intently at the popcorn in the square heater. Her arms were folded, but it didn't look natural at all. It looked awkward, actually.
"Jazmine, what's wrong?" He asked again. "You look nervous."
She finally turned her head around to glance at him and looked back at her popcorn. She shook her head and let out a forced giggle.
"I'm fine. Just waiting on the popcorn." She replied calmly. He stared at her, not convinced by her story. Sure she was waiting on the popcorn, but that didn't explain her weird antics. She was avoiding him, and for what?
"Whatever." He let it go for now. "Are we watching a movie or something?"
She nodded. "Yeah. I didn't get a chance to pick one out yet."
He scoffed.
"Jaz, I think we both need to find a movie to our liking. Not just you."
"You don't even know what I wanted us to watch." She responded timidly, her back still turned.
He shook his head as he walked over to her. Fuck the bullshit.
He wrapped his arms around her waist from the back. She shuddered at the sudden gesture.
"What's the matter? You seem nervous about something." He whispered in her ear, unknowingly causing a shiver to run down her spine. "You know you can tell me anything."
She sighed softly and hesitantly brought her hands down to his, gently prying them off of her. She turned around, finally facing him. She inwardly frowned at his confused expression. She didn't want him to think she didn't like him touching her.
"Huey, don't do that. Please." She kindly stated. She heard the microwave beeping and turned around to open it up.
Huey stared at her, his eyes wide in shock at her reaction. She just told him to leave her alone after she invited him inside? Wow. He was speechless as he watched her take out the freshly popped popcorn and shut the microwave. He tried to ignore the foul smell from the damn thing filling up his nostrils as he snatched the snack out of his girlfriend's hands. She gasped again at his sudden move and glared at him. He matched her glare as he moved the bag out of her reach.
"What the hell, Huey! Give it back!" She nearly screamed as she attempted to lounge to get it. Huey gently pushed her back away from it.
"Not until you tell me what the hell's wrong with you!" He yelled, tired of her playing around. "You were all giggly and shit on the phone, now you act like I have some contagious disease! What's the problem?"
"Nothing!" She lied, her eyebrows furrowing as if she was about to cry. He missed it though.
"You're lying!" He shouted back. "What have I done to you, Jaz? What? Did I call you out your name? Did I beat on you? Did I cheat on you? Did I ever force you to do something you didn't want to do?"
"No." She responded, her voice sounding as meek as a mouse. The change in her tone made Huey feel bad. Damn, he knew he was about to make her cry again. He hated that shit. Not only was her crying annoying, it made him feel like shit. He came to realize after all these years of knowing her that for the most part it was he who made her cry, specifically during their childhood. He would only tell her the truth, but he was brutal with it. He could've sugar coated some things, or he could've waited until she was old enough to handle the truth, but no. He just had to be the asshole.
This time was a little different. He actually didn't know why she was about to cry, because she wasn't saying anything! He didn't like to yell at her, but she was pissing him off. He sighed and brought his arms around her waist again. He still didn't like to see her cry. She didn't fight him off this time.
"Jazmine," He called her softly, looking into her shifty eyes. She was looking every which way, trying to prevent those liquid drops from falling out of her jade orbs. Huey just continued to stare into them. "Just…tell me why you're acting like this. I want to help."
She looked down, wiping a lone tear out of her left eye.
"I'm just being dramatic as usual."
"Ya don't say." He stated dryly. She giggled lightly before meeting his gaze.
"Baby, I'm just worried about us." She whispered. His eyebrow's furrowed in further confusion.
"You thinkin' about breakin' up?"
She scrunched her face up at the thought. She wouldn't even dare!
"No!" She screeched. His face dropped to his neutral expression.
"Oh. Well, what is it?"
She continued to stare into his wine-hued orbs.
"I'm worried about us being alone." She uttered silently. There was a slight pause in the air before her boyfriend smirked and lightly sucked his teeth.
"That's all?" He inquired in disbelief. This girl made it seem like it was such a big deal.
She felt her cheeks warm up as she nodded, like a child being chastised. He snorted and shook his head.
"Told you I was being dramatic."
He sighed. "You weren't kidding." She giggled a little, her cheeks brightening all the more. "Jaz," He called her in all seriousness. "You have self-control, right?"
She nodded again.
"Then know that nothing's going to happen. Plus, you wanted us to go out first, right?" She grinned and nodded again. "I have self-control, too. You know that."
"Yeah, I know." She responded firmly, finding her voice again.
"Good." He said before kissing her. It didn't last long at all. "Just don't try to get sexy on me."
She rolled her eyes playfully. "I'm not sexy now?"
He looked up to the ceiling and thought about it for a second.
"Okay, let me rephrase that. Don't try further turning me on."
She giggled and lightly slapped his arm. He smiled a small smile at her reaction and reached behind him on the counter. "You can have your bag of death back."
She laughed at that and pushed him off of her. "Thanks, you tease."
His eyebrow arched again. "I'm the tease, yet you have on that intoxicating scent."
She blushed and grinned. Why the hell did she even put that on? She just wanted to smell good for him, but she didn't think it'd turn him on.
"Quiet, you." She ordered with a slender finger pointed his direction. "This bowl of fruit is for the both of us. I know you don't like popcorn."
"Thanks." He said as he picked up the bowl and headed to the living room, his girl following his trail. She pulled her lips in as she lightly slapped him on his backside. She whistled the London Bridges tune, trying hard not to laugh, as he zipped his head towards her. He smirked at her and raised his brow.
"You better stop it before I take back everything I just said." He warned, partially joking.
Only a little bit. Hell, she didn't even know how much she affected him.
"What?" She responded in an innocent tone contradicting her facial expression. He just turned back around and continued to walk. She giggled behind him. He just kept on smirking, his cheeks a little tinted.
She knew what she was doing.
"Take that bitch!"
"Whoop her ass!"
"Ya like that? Ya like that you lil' pussy!"
Damn. What the fuck was wrong with people? This was a nightmare, it had to be. She'd never met such ruthless females in all her life. Shit!
Briana lie helpless on the ground within her cell as two She-devils pummeled her. She asked for this. She turned herself in. She insisted on doing the right thing. Who knew doing the right thing would hurt so bad?
She was not about to complain, or cry. She fought hard not too. She wanted to remain tough. She supposed all things happened for a reason. She interfered in people's lives all because of a boy she had a crush on. She was willing to possibly kill someone as she tried to make her move closer to the older Freeman brother. Because of all that, this was just the price she had to pay.
Her face was all bloodied and bruised due to the constant banging against the floor by the dyke with the dragon tattoo on the side of her face. She thought her ribs were broken as the other dyke with the braids that stopped at her neck kicked her.
She felt so weak, and was damn near about to pass out. It wasn't until her cellmate had returned from using the latrine that they stopped. She had to admit that the woman was not to be toyed with. Picture Deebo from Friday in pigtails. That was her. Lazy eye and all.
"We got a problem?" The woman questioned in a grave tone, immediately halting the other two criminals.
"Naw Diablo, we good. We was just leavin' to go to our cell." The face-tattoo woman piped, looking shaky. The other one was on mute.
Diablo just lifted her head, a signal that meant 'Leave before I change my mind'. So within seconds, the thugs were out.
Diablo looked down at the broken girl on the ground, coughing up blood.
"Thanks." Briana managed to rasp as she attempted to rise up on her elbows. She groaned loudly as she failed and dropped to the ground again.
"Don't move. You'll only make it worse." The intimidator informed her. She walked over to the girl and picked her up, careful not to hurt her even more. As she set her on the cot, she noticed Briana wince.
"You good?"
Briana just nodded and slowly brought her hand up to wipe some of the blood off of her cheeks.
"Could you lend me a towel or something to get this blood off of me?" She asked politely. Diablo said no words as she stared at the girl for a second. Briana felt uncomfortable under her gaze and shifted her eyes to the right. She won't into that gay shit.
Diablo just reached down and lifted the sheet from the cot to wipe off her face. Briana screeched in disgust.
"Eww, I have to sleep on that!" She exclaimed. Diablo glared at the girl, causing her to clamp her mouth shut.
"This is all you got." She simply told her before continuing to wipe her face. "I'll see if there's some ice for you in the cafeteria. You're not broken, just bruised up."
Briana arched her brow skeptically. "How do you know?" Diablo looked down at the girl again before standing up and walking out, leaving the girl confused and alone.
"The hell?" She mumbled softly as she was alone again. She grew nervous.
What if someone else comes in and tries to whoop her ass again? She'd be dead, she knew it. This place was just a grave all in itself. Just the other day, she witnessed a murder from afar. During their time outside, running around, exercising and whatnot, she saw someone shank another female in the neck on the track. Being that it was her first time witnessing such a thing, she felt sick to her stomach and almost threw up her lunch. Everyone else didn't seem too fazed, and if they were, they sure knew how to hide that shit.
What if she was another victim in this place? What if she never got out? What if she never saw her mom or her cousin again? What would happen then? Would her mom still think she was alive, trying to 'find herself'?
What about her dad? Though he was an ass, she'd never get to show him how useful she could be. She always had the idea that he thought she wasn't worth anything, so with her being here, he'd think even less of her.
As she continued to think about the 'what ifs', Diablo returned with a small bag of ice. Lucky her.
"Because that white bitch doesn't work in there today, the other one was nice enough to give me this after I told her what happened." She explained before gently placing it on her ribs.
"Just keep it there for a while."
Briana nodded and did as she was told. Diablo turned around and walked to the other side of the small room to lay on her cot, her back facing Briana. They were silent for a long while. Pretty soon, Briana couldn't take it anymore. She had to know.
"Why…are you being so nice to me?" She timidly asked as she shifted her eyes to the girl version of Deebo.
The bulky woman sighed at the broken silence, but didn't budge.
"What?"
Briana thought about rolling her eyes, but this wasn't her environment. She didn't know if she'd get rocked in her face for doing so or not.
"I mean, why are you helping me? You don't even know who I am and you're being so generous to me."
For a minute, Diablo didn't say anything. She didn't even move. Briana was beginning to think that she'd never get the answer to her questions. She shook her head, wincing at the pain. She should've gotten her some ice for her face too.
"Nevermi-"
"I can tell you ain't about this life."
Briana's eyebrows furrowed in both pain and thought. How could this girl know so much?
"You've probably never been into any real trouble before, am I right?"
Briana stared at the back of the woman in slight shock. "W-well no, but I wasn't exactly an Angel either."
"Of course not, you're here." She bluntly replied, finally turning over to face the young woman. "How old are you?"
Briana still didn't like being under her gaze, so she just looked up towards the ceiling. "17."
She heard the woman sigh hard and glanced to her right to see her shaking her head.
"You're too young. What the hell are you even doing here?" She asked, sounding majorly disappointed. "This ain't the life for you."
Oh hell no. She was not about to get a lecture from another inmate. That didn't even make sense to her.
"Well, no one at any age should be about this life, really." She murmured under her breath. Diablo heard her though.
She nodded. "That's true. But you had everything going for you. You can't be up in here with real trouble makers. You think those girls who just kicked your ass are the worst? They wouldn't even last five minutes in my hood."
Damn.
Briana looked back at her, interested all of sudden. "Where are you from?"
"Chester, Pennsylvania."
"Oh. I've never heard of it."
Diablo nodded. "It's best you don't know about it. Shit real out there." She sighed and turned to lie on her back, looking up. "Niggas always claim they go hard and all that bullshit, but they don't know what hard is until they endure the shit I had to go through."
Briana stared at the woman, not really knowing what to say.
"What…did you have to go through?" Briana inquisitively asked. She began to feel sorry for her, almost forgetting that she was the one all bruised up.
Diablo shook her head. "You ain't ready to hear all that, young blood." With that, she turned to her side, facing the wall again. "I'm goin to sleep. You should try doing the same."
Briana stared at her back, wanting to say something else. She wanted to know more about this Diablo person. What was her story? Why was she there if she was so against criminal behavior? And why was she helping her?
More importantly, where did she get the name Diablo from anyways?
Briana just shifted her eyes to the ceiling and tried to relax. Well, at least she could count on Diablo to have her back in this hellhole.
She was up.
His wife…was up.
He'd been waiting for this day. He'd been dying to tell her he loved her and he didn't want her to scare him like that again. He'd been dying to get her to tell him who the attempted murderer was so he could turn him in before he had to kill him.
But as he stood before her room door, all he could think of was how unfaithful she had been to him. His blood began to boil and his mind reeled as he dramatically envisioned her in different positions with some man he made up in his mind. He closed his eyes, trying to block out the visions, but they were even clearer. He heard those moans and groans that he loved to hear when they used to make love. He imagined her using those moans and groans with someone else. He didn't know who it was. Maybe it was that nigga Jimmy from college. He was always trying to make a pass at her. She didn't like him though, or at least he thought she didn't. He wasn't so sure now.
Or maybe it was Clyde, one of her co-workers. He was always so extra friendly with her. Anton hated that. But nah…Clyde was so dorky. It couldn't be him.
He sighed lowly and opened his eyes to rid the thoughts, or at least try to. He was reluctant, but he finally pushed the door open and walked inside. Looking around, he noticed it was just he and his wife.
Speaking of her, she was staring dead at him with the softest eyes he'd ever seen. It reminded him of the first time they admitted their love to one another. That was way back when.
Despite how dirty she felt, she forced a small smile on her face. He forced one too.
"Well hello." She greeted calmly. Her smooth tone made him smile a little more. He walked over to her and kissed her forehead before pulling back quickly.
"I'm glad you're okay, babe."
She nodded. "I'm fine." Her smile turned upside down. "Where have you been? I've been dying to see you."
The left corner of his mouth twitched as he fought the urge to say something smart.
"Just…y'know, running a few errands for my boss." He lied. He was avoiding her, mainly because he was afraid of what he might say.
She didn't catch on to his lie, so she smiled again. "Oh okay."
"You talk to Stacia?" He asked as he took his seat in the chair beside her bed.
"Not since I told her to hang with her friends." She admitted. "I want to though. I just feel like…she'll just avoid me."
At that, Anton laughed a little. Tina, confused, eyed him weirdly.
"What?"
He shook his head. "Baby, you need to talk to her."
She squinted her eyes, still confused. "Why?"
He stared at her as she stared back. His mind reeled again as he thought about Stacia's conversation with her unconscious mother. The last thing Stacia wanted to do was avoid the woman. "Just…just talk to her."
Tina was a little annoyed at his vagueness. She felt like she was out of the loop or something. He knew something she didn't know.
But then again, she knew something he didn't know. Only difference is that what he doesn't know could hurt him if he finds out.
"If you say so." She concluded. She was about to lean up to sit up a little straighter. Her show was on and she couldn't really see in the position she was in. She made a little noise in pain. Mr. Jackson immediately jumped up at her side.
"Baby, don't move so much." He informed her quickly, making her lay back down. She sighed irritably.
"I can't wait to be independent again." She let out in an exasperated breath. Anton didn't say anything on that note.
Because he most definitely could wait for her to be independent again.
He pushed a button on the bed she was lying on to sit her up the way she wanted to.
"Tell me when to stop." He ordered. She told him when she was almost tilted at a ninety degree angle.
"Thanks honey." She sweetly thanked him and for the first time since he opened those doors, she looked into his eyes. When he looked down at her, he caught her staring into him. He couldn't help but stare back. They just stared at each other, trying to read each other's emotions. They both looked as if they were holding something back. They both wanted to know, but didn't know exactly how to spark up a conversation anymore.
Tina watched as Anton opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. That was all the confirmation she needed. Something was on his mind.
"What's-"
Just as she was about to say something, her door busted wide open. The couple jumped at the suddenness and looked to see who it was.
"Uh…sorry for interrupting whatever it was you all were just doing," A white man with salt and pepper like hair said, with another man with red hair standing behind him. "But we think we know who attacked you Mrs. Jackson."
Her eyes widened. How could they possibly know? She didn't say anything!
"Y-y-you do?" She stuttered nervously. Her husband looked at her, his eyes squinting at her sudden nervous tone.
The white haired man nodded with a blink. "Are you familiar with a man by the name of Jin Taylor?"
Aw hell.
"…Yes…that's my boss." She informed. She looked up at her husband, afraid of his reaction. She didn't know if he knew about her cheating ways, but she felt that he knew something.
He didn't even look at her. He just looked to the man, preparing to hear the details.
"Well, I suggest you try working someplace else, because your boss is a prime suspect in this case."
"Where is he now?" She frantically asked, almost cutting him off. Her husband closed his eyes, trying not to get riled up by her weirdness. He tried to deny it. He tried to deny the fact that his wife had been sleeping with her boss. No wonder she had all those promotions. He should've known.
"Well, he was in holding for a few days, but now he's imprisoned. He has a bail, please don't ask why, but it's set pretty high."
She groaned loudly and prepared to scream. This was not good!
"He's rich!" She shrieked. "Why does he have bail!"
"I…just said not to ask."
"What is the amount?" She asked, ignoring his little smart comment.
"One-hundred thousand dollars."
"That's bullshit!" She yelled and winced as she felt the pain hit her side.
Her husband just looked back and forth at her and the man. He didn't want to talk, or else he'd say something pretty damn foul. He understood her being scared, but he didn't understand why she was acting as if the nigga was unbeatable. If he got out on bail, then he'd just have to be dealt with. Plain and simple.
The man shrugged, not knowing what to say. He turned to look at the red-head man, gesturing him to say something. The red-head just glared at the man. The man shrugged.
"Well…it is what it is. For your sake, just hope he doesn't get out on bail." He said, and ran out the door before her husband could run up to him and whoop his ass.
"Asshole!" She yelled, in hopes of him being able to hear her. How the hell did he just come up in there and inform her that he found the potential killer, and then nonchalantly 'wishes he doesn't get out on bail'? What a jerk.
"Ma'am," She looked at the voice who called her.
"Yes?" She asked in a tired voice. She was done with this bullshit.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure you get the justice you deserve, or my name isn't Jack Flowers."
She didn't know what he was going to do, but she just nodded. "Thank you, sir."
He just nodded and exited out of the room.
She sighed after that…whatever it was and closed her eyes. She knew Jin would get out. He was hella rich. He was two steps under Ed Wuncler and Charles McPhearson. He'd give one-hundred thousand dollars to charity, if his heart was big enough. That man was going to be out of prison in no time.
She inhaled and exhaled repeatedly, on the verge of hyperventilation. She managed to calm down a bit, but still felt extremely uneasy.
Meanwhile, her husband just continued to stare at her, studying her behavior. He loved her dearly, he really did. But he can't help but feel hurt. He didn't need an explanation from her. He knew she slept with her boss. He knew she was unfaithful. He probably should've been thinking more about her safety than anything, but he couldn't help it.
He sighed and casually walked to the door to exit as well.
"I'm going to the cafeteria." He announced. "You want anything?"
She opened her eyes to look at him and felt a major tug at her heart. The look on his face was clear as day. He looked sad. She didn't really know why, but she had a feeling that she was the cause.
She shook her head. "No, I'm fine. Maybe later."
He just nodded and walked out, closing the door behind him.
She was hungry, but food was the last thing on her mind.
Besides, she had another feeling.
She had a feeling he wouldn't return for a while.
"One call only." The prison guard announced harshly. "You got five minutes."
The Asian tensed up at the man's intimidating tone as he grabbed the phone and made his call. After four rings, the phone picked up.
"Hello?"
He sighed. If he wanted to do this thing, he had to do it right. He only had one more option.
"Hey boy. I don't have long, so listen carefully…"
After hanging up, he face-palmed and let out a long groan. Shocked was an understatement.
Not only did he receive news from his aunt that his closest cousin ran away, but his uncle was now imprisoned, and he wanted him to bail him out with the money from his safe. He said that the bail was one-hundred thousand dollars.
What he wanted to know was how in the hell did his rich uncle get locked up? What did he do? Why was his bail one-hundred thousand dollars? And more importantly, was he even going to attempt to bail him out?
He thought about it for a second. He wasn't even close to his uncle!
He shook his head angrily. It seemed like the only time people needed him is when they wanted a bailout.
"Shit!" He yelled, thankful that his mom wasn't home to witness his sudden outburst. His family was just full of criminals. He was so done with this stupid shit.
He got up off of the living room sofa and put his shoes on at the front door. He grabbed a coat out of the front closet and let out the door. That nigga he called uncle better give him something in return for his 'good deed'. For real.
"Hiro do be throwin' the best ones. Me and him need to get acquainted so I can be like 'I know that nigga' when he get famous." Caesar half-joked. He won't no gold digger or nothin' like that…but still…
Right then, the crew decided to just take a stroll around the neighborhood, just for old time's sake. Once again, Caesar gave Cindy a piggyback ride whereas everyone else kept their feet on the ground.
Huey rolled his eyes. "If we go to another party, I don't want to have to start babysitting again. Ya'll always get high or drunk off your asses."
Riley snickered. "Nigga, I don't smoke. The fuck you talkin?"
Stacia giggled as she pushed his shoulder. "Stop lyin', Riley. You smoke sometimes." Riley shrugged.
"Well who asked you to come? You don't even like parties." Riley went on, ignoring what Stacia said.
Huey rolled his eyes. "I only go to keep you irresponsible niggas in check."
"Hey, I don't do much." Caesar announced. Huey looked at him with a straight face. It didn't take long for Ceez to crack up. "Okay, fine. I do have me a drink or two. But I don't smoke. That shit's unattractive."
"Unless it's spice!" Cindy added in a sing-song tone, causing Riley and Stacia to crack up.
Huey rolled his eyes. "Delinquents." Jazmine just continued to hum as she listened to her iPod. She didn't know what they were talking about.
Caesar snickered. "Hell no. That shit will turn you into a vegetable."
Huey looked at him with an upturned eyebrow. "I thought you just said you don't smoke."
"I don't." He simply said. "My cousin smoked it though and ended up having seizures twice in the same night." He shook his head.
"Don't knock it til' you try it." Stacia told him. Huey snapped his head at her. Caesar and Cindy's mouths dropped. Riley snickered as Stacia blushed from her accidental blurt.
"You smoke, too?" Huey asked, sounding a tad disappointed. "I thought you were smarter than that!"
Cindy laughed loudly. "Nigga, she's still smart! She just knows how to have a good fuckin' time."
Caesar shook his head with a smirk. "Not Staciiiaa!" He dragged out dramatically.
"You don't know what you're missing." She weakly defended, making the crew, minus Huey and Jazmine, laugh.
Riley rolled his eyes with a wide grin. "Man, don't hype that nigga up. Spice good and all, but that shit only leave you high for like thirty minutes. Nigga, if I'm gettin' blazed, I want that shit to last all night!"
Cindy interjected. "All you gotta do is smoke the whole bag, nigga. I'm pretty sure you'll be high as a mu'fuckin' kite."
Riley shook his head. "Tried that shit. Don't work like weed do."
Cindy shrugged.
"I don't care what you say, nigga. Spice is that shit. I ain't never had no damn seizures from smokin'."
Caesar snorted.
"Yeah, but I bet you're short a few brain cells." Huey interjected. Cindy rolled her eyes. He's no fun.
Huey was so bored with this conversation.
"Can we change the subject?"
Just then they spotted the old playground they used to go to all the time. It was just up the street from J. Edgar Hoover elementary, the school they used to go to. Damn, they must've walked further than they thought.
"I forgot this shit even existed." Cindy admitted with a light laugh as Caesar let her walk again.
"Word, I did too." Riley added.
Stacia looked back at everyone. "Ya'll tryna go over there?"
Everyone just shrugged. Jazmine finally stopped humming as she noticed the playground as well.
"OH MY GOSH, I FORGOT ABOUT THIS PLAYGROUND!" The music was filling her ears up so much that she felt the nerve to shout over it as if no one would be able to hear her.
Huey sighed and pulled the earphones out of her ears. She began to protest until she realized how loud she was. She giggled and apologized.
Pretty soon, they all reached the playground. Cindy and Caesar were on the blacktop, Riley and Stacia were sitting on the swings, and Huey and Jazmine were standing by the monkey bars.
Jazmine wrapped her earphones around her iPod and placed it into her jacket pocket. She zipped it up as she began to climb on the highest monkey bar. Standing a good few feet away, Huey watched his energetic girlfriend and shook his head.
She rolled her body so that her waist was touching the top of the bar, and did a front flip before landing on the ground. Her back arched and her hands were up in the air like a gymnast. She smiled, showing her perfectly straightened teeth.
"Ta daa!" She took a bow as her boyfriend smirked and clapped for her.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're far too kind!" She laughed as Huey groaned at her reciting Jay-Z's Thank You song. She awed at him and hugged him tightly, pressing her head against his chest.
"You're so cute when you're annoyed." She cooed as she loosened her grip a little. She shivered as she felt the wind hit her neck. How stupid of her to wear her hair up in a bun. She felt him hug her back, and immediately felt warmth. It felt so good to be in his arms.
"Whatever." She heard him say softly. She giggled and looked up at him with a cheeky grin as she caught him blushing a little. He looked down at her, trying not to smile, but failed miserably. She laughed and pinched his cheeks.
"Such a cutie!" She said in an overly dramatic tone. He rolled his eyes, but smiled nonetheless. He moved his face away from her hands.
"Yeah, yeah."
They pulled away from each other and relocated to the steps at the end of the jungle gym. They took a seat and looked around in comfortable silence. Jazmine almost immediately rested her head on his shoulder as she looked forward, watching Cindy and Caesar dancing from afar.
They were silent for a long while. Although they could hear their friends playing around in the short distance, it was very peaceful. It sort of reminded them of the hill. It took a minute for either of them to notice that the sky was getting to be a little dimmer.
"I can't wait for our date." Jazmine started up, lifting her head and breaking the silence. "Y'know that new movie releases this Saturday, right?"
"What new movie?" He questioned as he picked up a stick and trailed it in the dirt mindlessly. Jazmine looked up towards the sky and leant back, propping on her elbows.
"Oh y'know, that movie with the boy that likes the girl, but doesn't want the girl to know he likes her because she's too naïve and he feels he shouldn't like naïve girls because he's too logical and rational, but ends up going with the girl in the end because he knows his feelings won't go away. I forgot what the movie's called."
Huey shrugged. "Never heard of it, but the storyline sounds familiar."
"Doesn't it?" Jaz added, scrunching her face up in thought. "I tried to think of where I've heard it from, but nothing rings a bell."
Huey shrugged again as he threw down the stick and rubbed his hands together.
"Whatever. Maybe we saw it in an old movie once."
Jazmine shrugged too. Maybe they did.
"I'll take you to see it though." He offered. Jazmine squealed and sat up.
"Really? It's doesn't even sound like a movie you'd be interested in." She stated matter-of-factly.
He sighed with a slight eye roll. "Yeah well, I guess I could make a few sacrifices to keep you happy."
She blushed harshly as she placed her dainty hands on both sides of his face and planted a soft kiss on his lips. She pulled back with the most beautiful smile Huey's ever seen. He smirked, realizing that only he could cause her to do so.
"Hmm. You're so sweet to me." She noted. "I wonder why." She looked up at him with a slight grin. "Could it be because you want to get all up in the drawls?"
He gave her a wide eyed expression and she pulled her lips in, stifling her laughter. He stared at her for a good minute, red all over his face.
"…What?" Although his face was very expressive, his tone remained calm.
"Oh, so you don't want it?" She challenged.
"Of course I do…wait, that's not what I meant!" He answered a little too soon and groaned as he realized his mistake. Jazmine couldn't help herself. She loved to tease him. Her incessant giggling turned into full blown laughter. She bent over, holding her stomach.
"You're ridiculous." He muttered as he shook his head, his cheeks turning a tinted red. He hated to be laughed at.
"Aww. Baby, I'm sowwy." She fake-apologized to him as she leant her head against him, still laughing. He rolled his eyes and turned the other direction.
"Don't be mad, Huey. I'm sorry." She begged, smiling cutely.
He shook his head again. "Yeah, whatever."
Her smile widened. "So you forgive me?"
"No."
She shrugged.
"You're not mad."
Huey stared at her blankly. He just loved it when she told him how he was or wasn't feeling.
Not.
"Jazmine, please stop talking."
She frowned.
"Fine." She pouted softly. Huey was a real jerk sometimes. She was playing. She didn't mean to upset him. She was just acting like she normally did when she was around him. Why was he feeling some type of way?
Damn. He must really hate being laughed at.
Huey stood up slowly and stretched out wide. Jazmine glanced up at him once and turned the other way. She heard him sigh, but ignored him. They didn't say anything for a minute. She then began playing in the dirt with a thin twig. He sighed again.
"We should get going. It's getting dark." He insisted. She didn't even look up.
"It's getting there, it's not dark yet." She stubbornly snapped back. She continued trailing the twig in the dirt as if she was trying to forget Huey was even standing there. That kind of pissed him off a little bit.
Huey rolled his eyes at her childish behavior. "Jazmine. Put down the stick. You know your parents would trip if you're not home before 9:30."
She scoffed. "And since when do you care about what my parents think? You disrespect them half the time." She continued to trail the stick. He just stared at her blankly.
"Jazmine…" He called to her. She ignored him. "Jazmine, what's the problem?" He asked as he took his seat beside her again. She sighed irritably and scooted away from him a bit. Her body language said it all.
"Why are you mad at me?"
She scoffed again. "Guess, Mr. Know-it-all."
He rolled his eyes. "You're still mad because I asked you to stop talking?" She didn't respond. "Jazmine, I don't even know why you took me seriously." She still didn't respond. He watched her as she huffed and puffed harshly, confirming that she was indeed mad.
He sighed hard and closed his eyes. Her drama-filled ass really bothered him sometimes. Well, time to make up.
He scooted close to her. She wanted to scoot over more, but she didn't have any room, so she just kept looking in the opposite direction. She gasped, however, when she felt her boyfriend place soft butterfly kisses on the side of her neck. She tried so hard to keep a straight face, but as she felt his lips trace the underside of her ear, she sighed lightly.
He smirked as he noticed it and lovingly wrapped his arms around her waist from the back. Not being able to resist his charm, she smiled lightly and nestled deeper into his arms. He smiled too.
Success.
"I'm sorry, baby." He softly apologized, his lips right next to her right ear. "I didn't mean for you to get upset."
She blushed deep when she heard him call her by an affectionate title, and smiled wider. She felt that giddiness again. The one she felt when they first admitted their love for one another. She turned her head slightly to look up at him.
"I know." She gave him a quick kiss and looked into his eyes. "I love you, Huey. And I'm sorry for acting like such a drama queen."
He smiled back and stared into her jade pools. "It's okay. And I love you, too."
More than satisfied with his answer, she turned around to lean back into him again.
"Why can't I stay mad at you?" She seriously asked.
"Why are you so dramatic?" He countered, just as serious. She rolled her eyes.
"Even when you're being a smart-alec, I can't help but love you. It's kind of annoying." She admitted, laughing a little. He shrugged.
"Love does that to a person, I guess." He answered. "Besides, it was a petty argument. If you stay mad at something like that for long, that's kind of pathetic."
She punched his arm lightly as he snorted.
She smiled again and looked up at the evening sky.
"I could stay like this forever." She whispered.
Huey nodded in agreement. "Yeah." He almost forgot they had to go. "We can't though."
Jazmine's smile faded as she awoke from dreamland and entered reality. She sighed. "I know."
"Yeah, but it's okay." He says, trying to boost her mood a bit. "Saturday we'll be alone. Granddad's going out on another date with yet another young woman," He rolled his eyes at the thought as Jazmine giggled, "Riley and Stacia will probably go out somewhere since she's doing better, and Cindy and Caesar are going to do their own thing, I'm pretty sure of it."
Jazmine giggled again. They knew the two were feeling each other. It was cute.
To Jazmine, at least.
"So that means…after the date, we'll have the house to ourselves." He whispered in her ear, purposely sending a shiver down her spine.
Just payback for what she did to him earlier at her house.
She closed her eyes, trying to control her emotions.
"C-can't say I'm not looking forward to that." She replied in a hazy tone, definitely affected by her man's voice.
He smirked and unwrapped his arms from around her. She pouted, but took his hand he offered her and stood up anyways. She had her right arm around his back as he had his left one around her shoulders. They walked over to the rest of the crew. Riley and Stacia were sitting in the same swing, Stacia on Riley's lap. Riley whispered in Stacia's ear as she giggled girlishly. Jazmine smiled at their cuteness, but Huey shook his head. They were probably going to get it in later.
"Alright, it's time to go." Huey announced to the couple. Riley groaned irritably as Stacia whined.
"Aww, already?"
"Afraid so."
"Damn." Riley cursed. Stacia hopped off his lap slowly, followed by him hopping off the swing and stretching. "Welp, time for me to get some pussaayy-OW!"
Stacia smacked the back of his head pretty hard, making Jazmine bend over in laughter. Huey shook his head at his dumb brother.
"Shut up fool!" She was blushing madly at his outburst.
Riley snickered, holding his head. "Damn bay, you hit too hard."
"Serves you right." She sassed. Just then, Cindy and Caesar walked over.
"What's goin' on?" Cindy inquired as she noticed everyone standing up in one area.
"Time to go." Jazmine announced.
Caesar sighed. "Aww man! We wanted to have a dancing contest. I want a rematch with you, Jaz."
Jazmine almost cracked up at that. "Let's face it Caesar, I'm a natural."
Caesar scoffed. "Girl, you know I'm the King!"
Everyone just stared at him like he was crazy.
"…What?"
Then everyone looked at each other and turned on their heels.
"…Yeeaaahhh, let's go." Cindy suggested and walked off with the crew, leaving Caesar standing there.
"…Aye! What's that supposed to mean?" He yelled, powerwalking to catch up.
Dana TooFly Jefferson
I've cut people off in the past, so I have no problem doing so now. If I haven't known you long and you actin' funny, don't expect me to get all excited when I see you, for real. If I make more friends this year, I hope they're dudes. Girls are REAL silly for no reason. I'm just ready to get this job, and go back to school. #AndThatsReal
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Riley rolled his eyes at the Facebook status on the Newsfeed. Niggas always puttin' their lives out there for the world to see. And why the fuck niggas using the pound sign? This ain't Twitter!
He just logged out and turned the computer off. This was the second night Granddad let Riley stay with Stacia at her crib. He was beginning to think that the old nigga was trippin'. He shrugged it off though. He wanted to be with his boo anyways.
"Baby." He called her as he stood up. She was sitting on her bed removing her nail polish from her fingernails.
"Hmm?" She was so focused on her nails, she didn't look up.
"You wanna stop by my place for the night?" He asked. She looked at him funny.
"That's cool, but I thought you'd want to be alone with me."
He rolled his eyes. "Of course I do. But Granddad got some bangin' leftovers in the fridge and…babe, you just got noodles."
She giggled at his confession. She placed her nail polish remover and the cotton ball on her dresser before standing up. "Mr. Freeman allowed you to come over here a second night. I think that's something you should treasure."
He nodded. "True. But a nigga hungry, bay. You gotta understand."
She giggled at his dramatics and rolled her eyes.
"Boy, you ain't gon' die."
He sighed.
"Besides," She began, seductively walking closer to him. "We wouldn't be alone if we go to your crib. And you know what that means, right?" He just stared at her with a slight smirk at her sexiness.
"No, what?" He played dumb, his voice a little raspy.
She smirked and brought her small, delicate hands under his shirt to rub his pecks. He lightly bit his lip at the feel.
She brought her lips to his ear and whispered something that caused his eyes to widen and something to rise in his pants.
"…Oh shit…" He breathed and quickly grabbed her by the hips, pinning her down on the bed. She giggled at his eagerness.
"Oh, but what about Granddad's food?" She asked jokingly. He smirked again.
"Fuck that food. We got noodles."
"You're free to go." One very disappointed cop announced to the Korean man who, in turn, plastered an evil grin on his features.
He didn't say a word. He just walked out, leaving inmates screaming and shouting about 'how good his ass would've been' and whatnot. He tried not to cringe at what he heard as he neared closer and closer to freedom. He was more than ecstatic to find his oddly proportioned nephew standing there waiting on him.
"You did good, boy." He pleasantly stated after sighing. Well, arresting him was a little mishap, but he'd be all the more prepared for what he was about to do next.
Brian rolled his eyes hard and just marched out of the place, his uncle following behind.
Jin really could care less about Brian's attitude. All he wanted the boy to do was bail him out. He just asked him to go into his safe, he told him the number and told him where he was. So now that he was out, the boy wasn't really needed anymore.
Well…he did need a ride home.
"Drop me off at my house and then you can do whatever you want."
He heard the boy scoff.
"Whatever." He snarled. Jin just stared at him, unfazed. He didn't understand why the boy was mad, really. But he didn't really care to dwell on that. He had more important things to worry about.
As the boy started up the car, Jin nodded to himself, feeling real good. Things were working in his favor. He had all the right equipment back home. He didn't think he needed to use it, before the bitch told on him, but now it was deemed necessary.
Next step…find Tina Jackson and do away with her.
Then, track down Crystal.
These bitches clearly didn't know who they were messing with.
Every time was different with her. Every…single…time.
And every time they did it, damnit, it just felt so right!
Riley rolled off of his woman and positioned himself beside her. She cooed softly as she rubbed his forearm and rested her head on his shoulder.
They were spent.
They just spent the past two hours making love. This time, Stacia went buck wild, surprising the hell out of Riley. She did some things that were, for the public, better left unsaid.
Maybe being away from each other for so long did that to her. Hell, if that was the case, she should stay away from him a whole week and a half and see how that works out for them.
He couldn't believe she wore him out like that, though. He was literally fighting the fluttering of his eyelids. It was usually the other way around, but this girl done tapped into her inner freak and let loose.
"That…it was…you were…aw shit…" She laughed as she listened to him trying to describe how she just made him feel.
"That good, huh?"
"Hell yeah!" He exclaimed through his exhaustion. "You killed that shit."
She giggled into his shoulder. "You make it sound like I hit you with a dope rhyme or something."
He sighed blissfully. "I don't even know what else to say about you, girl. And when you hit them splits! Shit!"
She laughed and blushed at his comments. "Well your stroke game was perfect, boo. Don't give me all the credit."
"I got to. You ain't never done what you did before. I ain't even know you was holdin' back."
She shrugged. "Well, what you want me to say?"
He shook his head. "I don't even know. You got my nerves goin' haywire right now."
She laughed. "You still hungry?"
He scoffed. "Pssh, I'm too fuckin' tired to be thinkin' about food right now."
She laughed and pulled the cover up over their bodies. They remained quiet, nearly falling asleep. If it weren't for that loud ass shrill from the hallway, maybe niggas could've gone to sleep sooner.
"Who the fuck callin' yo' house at midnight?" Riley snapped, sounding aggravated.
Stacia growled in frustration and stood up. She didn't even attempt to cover herself as she walked to the door.
"Aw shit now." She heard her boyfriend whisper as he eyed her nude form. Despite her frustration, she glanced back at him and winked before disappearing into the hallway to pick up the phone.
"Hello?" She flatly answered.
"Umm, yeah…is there a Tina Jackson here? My name is Crystal and I called here a few days ago, but I've never gotten a call back."
Stacia's eyebrows furrowed. "Well, Tina Jackson's my mother, but she's at the Woodcrest Hospital until…well, we actually don't know when she's being released. I'll tell her you called though."
"What…room does she stay in?" The woman, Crystal hesitantly asked. Her tone sounded urgent, so Stacia couldn't help but to ask.
"Is there something you're not telling me that I probably need to know about my mother?" She didn't mean to sound so straight-forward, but she was a little annoyed. Who the hell was this woman?
Crystal sighed. "I don't know about your mother's life," She lied. "But I know who attacked her, and I've been trying to reach her for the longest."
Wait.
"…You know who attacked my mom?" She asked incredulously.
"Yes. I just want to speak with her, if that's alright with you."
Stacia had to think about it. There were some pretty messed up people she had to deal with in her past life, Briana being one of them. She wasn't too big on trusting people she didn't know.
But on second thought, this woman cared enough to call, leave a message, and call again to wonder why she hadn't received a call back. So she can't be all bad.
Stacia sighed. She couldn't believe she was doing this, but…
"It's room 305."
She did it.
She heard the woman sigh in relief. "Thank you so much. How's she doing by the way?"
"She's fine. She's just recovering."
"That's good to hear."
"Yeah." Stacia went on. She remembered hearing Crystal saying something like 'I know you don't like me' or something along those lines in the last voice message. "Did you have some sort of problem with my mom?"
There was silence on the other end. Stacia had to wonder if the woman was still there.
"Hello?"
"No, I'm here. It's just," Crystal began, trailing off a bit. "We just don't click. She's cool, I guess, but she's not the type of person I'd hang with…no offense."
"None taken." Stacia wasn't really pleased with the answer she got. She felt like there was something more to that story. She could tell Crystal was choosing her words carefully. She shrugged. She'd just have to ask her mom.
"Well, thanks for calling and informing me about the attacker."
"No problem. Thanks for informing me about your mother's safety."
"You're welcome."
"Alright, goodnight sweetie."
"Goodnight."
Click.
Well. That was kind of weird, but she was glad that someone other than her family or friends wanted to look out for her mom. It was sweet. She didn't know people even knew about what happened to her mom.
She sighed as she walked back to her room to find Riley passed out. She stifled her laughter as she carefully climbed back into bed, laying her head on his chest. The sound of his heartbeat calmed her. It always did.
Naturally, he embraced her. She smiled and kissed his chest before snuggling into him even more. Pretty soon, she was knocked out, too.
"Hell yeah!" Crystal yelled. She knew where the Woodcrest Hospital was. She was going to finally get the chance to talk to Mrs. Jackson about what's been going on.
She ran to her closet and grabbed a green long sleeved shirt, navy blue skinny jeans and a pair of green chucks that she's only worn twice in her entire life. She quickly changed out of her night clothes and into the clothes she'd just picked out. She threw on a chocolate brown coat, grabbed her keys and sprinted out the door.
It was about that time.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SOMEONE PAID FOR HIS BAIL!" Bellowed a very angry Jack Flowers. "You MUST want me to kick you in the nuts!"
Another detective agent looked at him warily and shook his head. "No…?" he began. "Don't look at me, I didn't set the bail."
"Goddamnit!" He yelled and spun around in anger. "You know what this means?"
"…He…got out on bail?"
"No! Well…yes, but that's not the point!" He shouted again. "Mrs. Jackson's in danger, and we've got to do something."
"Ah Jack, there you are." The Director walked in the room behind him out of nowhere. Jack turned around and nearly face-palmed himself. This dude popped up at the wrong time. He already knew what he was about to say.
"We just received a phone call from the Maximum Prison in Aberdeen…Jin Taylor's bail has been paid." He responded in his Director-y tone. Jack frowned deep.
"I know that, Director. We've got to do something about that."
"We can't. It's against our governmental policies."
Jack stared at the man in disbelief.
"What? To help people?"
"…Well…yes." He admitted nonchalantly. "Now, you've done a fine job with this case, Jack. It's time to go, so have a good weekend, and uh…no going rouge again. Seriously, I could have you suspended for that."
Jack scoffed and turned his back. The Director shrugged and left the room. As soon as his footsteps were unheard of, Jack sighed.
"I guess I'm going rouge again."
The other detective gasped. "No, Jack! Did you not just hear what he said?"
"I know what he said!"
"…You could get suspended." He tried saving his ass once more, but Jack's mind was already made up.
"Suspended Detective Luke, not fired."
With that, Agent Jack Flowers walked out of the room, leaving Agent Luke Mathers standing there stupefied.
Jin groaned as he jumped out of his nephew's ride and into the house. He should've been by the hospital. Yes, he knew which hospital Tina stayed in. Where else would she go? She lived in Woodcrest, Maryland, and the Woodcrest Hospital was the only one available to the Woodcrest residents.
He quickly ran upstairs to freshen up. He didn't even bother taking a shower, which he probably should've done, but he was on a mission. Fuck that. He was about to get this over with.
Good thing the hospital was only a fifteen minute drive. He'd make it a ten minute one, though. Possibly five.
He had no time to waste.
Crystal stopped at the stop sign, looked both ways, and made a left. She was up the road from her destination. She was so amped. She'd been waiting to do this for a minute now. If the Jacksons didn't know anything, she sure as hell had the information.
She finally saw the gigantic building and grinned happily as she turned into the parking lot. Yes!
She pulled up closer to the front and put her car in park. She leant back in her seat and closed her eyes.
It was time.
She took a few breaths, mentally pumped her self to get to it, and hopped out. She damn near ran to the front hospital doors, but couldn't seem to make it inside.
Probably because someone had just hit her upside the head with a two-by-four.
Damn.
Jin smiled darkly, and shook his head.
"Stupid bitch." He muttered as he picked her limp body up off the ground and laid her down behind the bushes. She wasn't dead, but she was knocked the hell out. By the time she'd wake up, he would be through with his first plan. She'd be dealt with later.
He wiped his hands off and walked back to his car to get a few more things. He needed to be on stealth mode for this shit.
He opened the passenger's side and stuffed some dangerous looking instruments in his coat pockets. He opened the back door to retrieve a pair of plastic gloves. He stuffed those in his pockets too before closing both car doors.
If he wanted to do away with Mrs. Jackson, he had to do it right. He chuckled evilly as he neared closer and closer to the front doors of the hospital.
Not at all noticing a black 2011 Chevy Impala parked a good distance away from him…
Watching his every move.
*Sigh* That nigga steady sloppy lol. Fix your shit and cover yo' tracks if you wanna be a successful killer nigga. I ain't about that life, and even I know that!
Damn, Crystal! You was right there! Parked in the front and everything, smh.
You don't have to say it, because I know. Jazmine is soooooo annoying sometimes lol. Dramatic ass. I had to do it lol.
Briana and Diablo? What's the deal with them, right? You'll find out!
Oh, and there will be more Ceez and Cindy soon. And Cindy hangin' with her folks, too. :)
Btw, if ya don't know, the song Jaz was listening to is At Your Best (You Are Love), Aaliyah's version. Ya'll know it was originally done by the Isley Brothers! :)
I'm halfway through chapter 25. Ya girl tryna update quickly, ya heard me? :)
Until next time, peace, love and re-VIEEWWWWW!
-_-, yes I'm corny.