"Ugh, I said I was sorry nigga! Why can't you just accept my apology?"

"Because I'm not going to.'

"Why?"

"Because I shouldn't."

"Why?"

"Because you're nothing but a disappointment."

The kitchen grew silent.

Her sister was never this angry with her before. Bri wouldn't even look at her, too busy working on her school project with Huey and Mikey in the kitchen, just like last time.

Tammy stood leaning on the kitchen counter, trying her hardest to keep Bri's attention. Huey held and expressionless face, while Mikey's was a little shocked, since he had never seen Bri so angry.

"Aye, Tammy we finna head to the—oh, my bad. Didn't I know I was interrupting some shit," Riley suddenly said as he appeared in the doorway. He took in the atmosphere, Tammy's sad yet annoyed face, Bri's silent but deadly expression.

"It's okay Reezy, I was just leaving anyway," Tammy said, giving her sister a glance before heading off with him. As soon as they were out of sight, Mikey turned to Bri, confusion on his face.

"So..this is your plan? To ignore your little sister and hope she'll learn her lesson? That's really smart, Porter," he said sarcastically, shaking his head at her.

Bri practically snapped on him.

"Don't you dare criticize me! You have no right to give me a lecture, Mr-I'm- So- Funny! You think everything is about you, when it's not! You think everything is a game, a joke even! It's not Michael, so just go away for once!"

Mikey and Huey's eyes widened in shock.

Mikey then glared at her. "So that's how it is, Sabrina? Putting down your friends when you're feeling down to make yourself feel better? I want you to realize that…it's not the end of the world. You made one mistake, letting your guard down. Its fine, no one's mad at you. Get over it and grow up."

Bri stared at Mikey for a long time before saying, "So what are you saying, Michael?"

"I'm saying that you're the disappointment Bri, not Tammy," he said simply. Bri widened her now tearful eyes, not believing that this was coming from her dearest friend, Michael Jacobs.

This was their first argument, in history. Since day one, in Brooklyn at ten years old, they we're nothing but buddies. But now, everything seems to be crumbling apart. She no longer knows who's wrong, and who's right.

Huey remained silent.

"So that's it? I'm a disappointment? Maybe we just shouldn't be friends anymore then, huh?" Bri said through her gritted teeth, her eyes angry but sorrowful.

"I guess so," Mikey said softly, though his light brown eyes held no emotion. Maybe ending our friendship is for the best…even though I'm not ready to let go..

"Tammy, calm the fuck down. Your attitude is melting my ice cream," Cindy complained, shooting her friend a look.

"Yeah, why yo' ass acting like you hate the world?" Riley asked, licking his ice cream cone.

The three of them were at the ice cream parlor down the block, sitting in one of the booths. Tammy sat with her arms crossed, looking upset as ever, while Cindy and Riley ate their ice cream peacefully. "My sister's being a bitch," Tammy told them.

Riley and Cindy exchanged amused looks. "Um, she's always been a bitch," they said.

Tammy rolled her eyes and held her head in her hands. "No, I mean like..a bigger bitch."

Her friends busted out laughing.

"So, you're saying that you want to move now?" Mikey's mother asked him.

Mikey continued to stuff his suitcase angrily, grabbing every little object in his room, including his cd collection, his Xbox, all his Xbox games, and clothes. Hm, I'm gonna need another suitcase, he thought as he ignored his mother.

"Y'know, I've never seen you so anxious like this since that last time when you were six and you wanted that brand new pair of Jordans that came out. Remember that?" his mother remembered proudly, smiling at her son.

Mikey continued packing.

"So, tell me what's really got you upset? I'm a good listener," she then said, a little curious about her son's energetic and angry motions, patting beside her for him to sit.

Mikey stopped what he was doing, sighed, and went to go sit next to his mother on the edge of his bed. He could really stand to get some things off his chest.

"I don't mean to pry, but is this about that Porter girl, Michael?" his mother asked with a chuckle.

Mikey allowed a small smile to cross his face. "I guess you can say that."

"So, exactly what's going on between you two?"

"Nothing."

"I beg to differ."

Mikey sighed and scratched his head. How can I explain this?

"Okay, so we've been best friends since like what..six years? But then she moved here, with her sister and grandma, when we were ten. So, now that we're…"

"Reunited?" his mother suggested.

Mikey considered this before continuing. "Yeah, now that we're reunited again, I feel like something's missing. Almost as if we're not the same anymore."

"What makes you think that?"

"Well, for the first time in history, we had our first argument today, if that counts."

His mother chuckled before placing an arm around him and pulling him into a hug. "Mikey sweetie, good friends have their little scuffles. It's just a way of life. Nothing's perfect, and nothing ever will be. So you just have to make up and move on."

Mikey rolled his eyes. "Like I haven't hear that before."

"You might have, but its good advice. Plus, moving on is just a part of life. Holding on to something that's not there anymore just shows you reality."

"I don't like that advice."

"God, you're just like your stubborn father. Well, look at it this way. If you really want to solve things and make them right with Bri, just do it. There's no point in moving away, running from all of this. If you still care for her, I'm pretty sure she still cares for you."

"I thought you guys wanted me to move though, right?"

"Oh, heavens no! Your father and I were just trying to scare you into doing the right thing. I promise, you're not going anywhere if you don't want to."

Michael smiled as he hugged his mother.

"Am I really a disappointment, Huey?" Bri asked her friend suddenly, a little too scared of his answer. The Freeman boy looked over the horizon, the wind blowing his hair. Leaves fluttered by as her questions hung in the air.

They were under the famous tree that overlooked the city.

"No."

Bri blinked. He said it so suddenly and out of the blue, she almost didn't know if she heard him right.

"If I'm not, then what am I? Or better yet, who am I?"

"You're just Bri Porter."

"That's it? I'm just Bri-"

"The girl with a heart, the one who's misunderstood in even the clearest of situations, the one who strides to be protective, but falls hard when things don't go right. The light and fire that refuses to burn out in even the darkest of situations. That's you, Bri Porter," Huey continued, now turning to look at her.

His maroon eyes were soft, yet his words were strong and powerful, rolling off his tongue smoothly. Bri smiled at him, knowing that what he said was true. She was all the things, no matter what anyone told her.

It wasn't the end of the world.