"My brother is a jerk."
Jazmine and Miho are waiting at a bus stop. Waiting for the next bus to arrive. Jazmine doesn't usually ride the bus often but for some reason she just can't stand being alone anymore. It's a bit depressing to her to take the 20 minute drive alone in her car.
"Your brother... Hiro?" Jazmine asks.
"Yes. He visited us on Christmas for an hour... and then he departed. My parents are very disappointed."
Jazmine frowns. "Oh... that's terrible."
Despite being in university, Miho still chooses to live with her parents. Her reasoning is that family is very important to her and that there's no point in moving out when her family lives in the same city as her university.
Family is very important to Jazmine as well. But considering the events that transpired in Christmas, she doesn't really know how to continue forward.
"You are very troubled. Jazmine-chan. What's wrong?"
"Boyfriend."
"Oh..."
They both sigh. They stand in the bus stop alone, thankful for the small roof over their heads as snow continues to fall outside. It's cold, it's getting dark, and after a long day of classes, she just wants to curl up in a ball and sleep the pain away.
"Would you like to talk about it?" Miho offers.
"I don't know what's happening to us." She admits.
"I see."
"Our relationship was doing so well! But for the past year everything just feels so off! We were doing so well with this long-distance thing but lately I just can't stand it anymore!"
Miho clarifies. "You cannot tolerate your boyfriend anymore?"
"No! Not that! I just want it to stop! I want us to be normal again and stop this whole torture..."
"Then call for him. Tell him to come home. Is not your boyfriend some sort of activist?"
"That's the thing Miho... he's just so damn stubborn... No matter how much I try... I can't get him to stay."
Miho sighs. People always tell her that she's wise for her age but she's not good with dealing with people. She's wise in terms of philosophy and the science of things but she's not really prominent in giving dating advice to others.
Miho frowns. "That's a very serious problem..."
"I know Miho... I know..."
Jazmine's eyes are just a faint green now. She doesn't really 'glow' as she used to. It could be that she is getting older or that the years are finally taking a toll on her but one thing for certain is that she hasn't really smiled a lot ever since Huey graduated from university.
The day after he graduated, they spent the entire day on a date. He took her on an amusement park and she rode every single rollercoaster and carousel ride until Huey was at the brink of throwing up. He wanted to spend one final day with Jazmine until he left to start his activist career.
It was sad for Jazmine. They barely got to celebrate his graduation and he's already packed his bags to leave for Los Angeles. He said that he can't waste anymore time being paraded around like a trophy by her just because he got a degree from the white man. He told her that he'll miss her and he'll video call her everyday but she has to stay in D.C. to finish her veterinarian degree.
And just like that, Jazmine doesn't really smile like she used to ever since that day.
"Is it wrong if I tell him to stop?" Jazmine asks her friend.
"Stop what?"
"To tell him to stop helping people. To tell him that he shouldn't focus on setting up a hundred fricking charities?"
"A lot of people need help, Jazmine-chan."
"So it's wrong?"
"Maybe... but I think he should help you first. Before others."
"But... he won't listen to me... I'm just this stupid, emotional, needy girlfriend while he's out there solving real problems!"
Miho shakes her head at Jazmine's statement. "I believe you should try looking inwards to yourself. Who are you? And what exactly do you want from your boyfriend? Do you want him to be protesting and travelling or do you want him to stay with you?"
"I don't know Miho... I think... I am selfish."
"That is nonsense Jazmine-chan."
"I- I don't know if our relationship can last if this keeps going... he doesn't know how to stop... he doesn't know when to call it quits and come home! No matter how much I tell him... No matter how much I miss him... he just won't listen to me! Maybe I shoud just give up..."
Miho sighs and rests her hand on Jazmine's shoulder. In the freezing temperatures, Jazmine's tears leave a stinging pain on her face. She knows she's facing a tough time in her life whenever it has come to the point when it hurts to cry.
"Do you think it is wise? If you give up and breakup with him?"
She stutters. "I- I- I don't know... I'm just sick and tired of what we have right now..."
"I have another quote Jazmine-chan... would you like to listen to it?"
Jazmine nods through her sobs.
"Sometimes life is like this dark tunnel. You can't always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep moving... you will come to a better place."
"S- So I should move on?" Jazmine whimpers.
Miho's Japanese accent can be distinctly noticed. "No no Jazmine-chan. When times are tough and you cannot see the end, you have to keep moving. You must have hope."
"Oh..." Jazmine wipes her tears away. "I guess so... thank you Miho. W-whe where did you learn that quote from? From a Japanese monk?"
Miho laughs. "From an American cartoon."
She smiles back. "I guess I should keep hoping?"
"I have a lot of hope." Miho exclaims. "My brother did not spend the holiday with my family. But I hope that he will visit some other time to make amends."
"That's- good."
"Yes... my father is a very strict man and he yelled at him on the phone for leaving so early during Christmas. My father is very proud of my brother's business because he makes a lot of money but... sometimes my father tells us that he just really misses my brother."
Miho continues. "If your boyfriend is anything like my brother, he will soon realize that there is more to life than work and achievements. Soon enough okay? I very much hope that he will realize that happiness and love is more important than careers and activism. Your boyfriend and my brother Hiro are just misguided but I know that they are good people inside. My brother will come visit again soon and spend time with us again. I just know it."
"Thank you Miho..."
Turkish vegan food is a lot like eating a bunch of pancakes. At least according to Jazmine. After the Christmas season and school resuming in January, she finds herself frequenting the Turkish restaurant for lunch.
It's just her friends' go-to place when they want to go out before afternoon classes. Jazmine has been getting pretty lazy with packing her own lunch so she often goes there to eat.
Sometimes alone, sometimes with Miho or Sara. Now that the truth came out, Jazmine and Jillian haven't really been going along well after the whole Caesar mishap. On top of everything that is happening in her life, she can barely stand the drama between the two of them.
"...that's the thing Caesar, back in high school he would let me help him with his projects! He let me co-run that NBP charity thing during senior year! Heck, he asked me to help on his prison break for Shebazz when I was 10!"
Caesar and Jazmine are standing at one of the diner booths. Caesar had ordered chicken shawarma while Jazmine has a veggie-stuffed flatbread.
He asks. "Then what's different?"
"I- I don't know..."
"Didn't you say his work is dangerous?" Caesar takes another bite of his food. "Like death threats or something?"
"Y-yeah?"
"So maybe Huey just wants to keep you safe or something."
She yells in response. "I know that! Of course I know that!"
Caesar holds his hands up defensively. "Woah... uh.. sorry. I'm just saying tho—that's what I would do if I was in his shoes too. Damn Jaz, you're really worked up about this."
She exhales tiredly. "I am! I'm just at a lost for words at what to do anymore..."
"Have you ever thought of just calling him?" He suggests.
"I can't... I don't want to. I don't even know if I should be mad at him or if I should be the one apologizing. Everything between us is just so... blurry and I absolutely hate it."
He gives her a sad smile. "There's no point being miserable all the time Jaz. Even if times are tough you should hold your head high and just cheer yourself up you know?"
"That's what I've been told Caesar... but frankly I don't know how to cheer myself up. I don't even know what that means anymore..."
Caesar looks visibly distraught. It's almost as if Jazmine's mood can transfer to others. "Hey- Jaz, call me Michael remember? Caesar was my dad's name."
"Sorry... Michael."
That's what she's been told. Her mom told her to relax a little. Her dad told her to be patient. Miho told her to have hope and now Michael said that she should just cheer up. She appreciates all the advice that people have given her but in truth, she's still as helpless as ever.
She's not looking to cope with her situation. She wants to find a way to stop him. She can't just sit in her apartment while he's out there literally risking his life for his 'cause'. Jazmine fully knows that Huey is ready to die if it means completing his agenda or becoming a martyr in some American revolution.
Huey is not going to stop until he's either behind bars or a bullet gets lodged in his head. And Huey just expects her to sit in the apartment and watch?
But she just can't convince him that she's crumbling apart without him. Unlike him, she's emotional and she just can't survive being in a long distance relationship. She can't convince him that she's worried sick for him—Huey is out there with complete and utter fearlessness, without a care in the world if something happens to him as long as his death contributes to the cause. And yet Huey doesn't understand that she'll literally fall apart and wither if something ever happens to him.
She gets nightmares every single night. Her dreams would start off with Huey making a speech in some sort of city plaza. A crowd of thousands would be silent and listening to his every word. Her nightmare starts off with a deceitful peace, he would orate with all the talent in the world and sway the crowd to action. Jazmine would be a short distance from him, standing beside the stairs of the stage, and her eyes gleaming with pride at her husband.
Then her nightmare always escalates with a gunshot. A bullet straight to Huey's head as his assassin guns him down and unloads additional bullets to his chest. Jazmine would always freeze during that moment, no matter how many times she's had the same nightmare, she would always stand frozen as she watches Huey get gunned down to the ground.
The crowd would scream and disperse. The assassin would slip away into the masses of people and escape. Soon enough the plaza becomes empty and then it's simply Jazmine standing frozen and Huey's body lie dead in his pool of blood.
Her nightmare would become silent, even while his body is laying on the floor, she still stands there frozen as before. Unable to move and utterly helpless to walk to his aid.
"Jazmine? Hello?"
"Wha wh- what?" She snaps to attention. "I- Sorry. What did you say?"
"You spaced out." Michael worries.
"I- I guess I did."
"I feel like your best remedy is to just stop worrying him all the damn time... look at you Jazmine, have you been eating enough lately?"
"Well... as a matter of fact... ummm-"
"I'm worried about you. We all are! Miho said you've been slacking on assignments, Sara said that she caught you crying in the women's restroom on campus! Jillian sai-
Jazmine snaps back angrily. "Okay I get it. Fine... I'm messed up okay Michael! I'm messed up! I'm just a stupid selfish bumbling idiot!"
"Jazmine..."
"You know what my biggest fear is Micheal?! Tuning to the news and seeing Huey dead! The same thing always happens to people like him! They all get shot! Malcolm X... George W. Lee, MLK... freaking Gandhi! I can't fucking take it Michael!"
Jazmine is making a big scene at the Turkish diner as all eyes turn to the sobbing woman. She's screaming and sobbing to the point that Michael can visibly see her in pain. All of these emotions and fears from her must have been bottled like a stretched rubber band.
She tries to collect her composure. "I- I'm sorry... I- I think we shoud leave Michael... I'm a mess..."
Michael holds her hand across the table, he pays no attention to the people staring at them. "You're not a mess Jaz. You're not messed up. You're just... hurt."
"Michael..." She sniffles from her fits of crying.
"Your mental health is taking a toll. You need to take your mind off Huey. Everyone is saying that it's the best thing for you."
"B-but- but-" Jazmine continues to sob uncontrollably.
"Let me take you out to the zoo or something. You like animals right? I'm sure we can find something to do at the zoo during winter... You can't keep worrying about him and being miserable Jaz..."
"I- I-" Jazmine holds Michael's hand tighter. "I- I'd love t-that..."
"My pleasure." He flashes a bright and hopeful smile.
"Michael?" She asks.
"Yeah?"
"Do you have feelings for me?"
He stammers at the surprise question. "Well umm... uhh... did Jillian tell you?"
"She did."
"Personally... I- I- don't even know... it's kinda funny I guess?" Michael awkwardly laughs. "I don't really know if I have feelings for you or not."
She wipes away her tears and looks at Michael's touch. His hand is overlapping her own, their fingers are almost interlocking. After being so cold and alone for a while now, she can't help but feel a lukewarm feeling from her heart.
Michael asks. "Do you mind? If I have feelings for you?"
"N-
...
...
...
"No... I don't mind..."
She wants to be regretful. She wants to regret what she just said. What is happening to her? Why is she holding his hand? Every fiber of her being is trying to pull away from the oncoming pitfall and yet... she's getting captivated by the warmth of his hand.
She feels so cold. Why does it feel like she's getting bent like metal?
Michael closes his eyes and leans into his seat. She's stopped her crying, she's holding his hand tighter. Is this what cheating feels like?
"Michael..." She whimpers.
...
...
"Michael..."
...
...
Time stood still for Jazmine. As if the universe awaits upon her decision before time resumes.
...
...
A phone rings.
Jazmine was leaning into the kiss. Their lips were dangerously close to damnation. She finds herself an inch away from his face. She had chosen to cheat. She had chosen to stop the pain and get rid of the cold. And yet the slight ring of her phone brought her back to sober thoughts.
The phone continues to ring. Jazmine sheepishly retreats to her seat. She was about to kiss Michael. She can't believe that she was this close to the biggest mistake of her life.
He opens his eyes when his lips only found air. "Jazmine? Wh- what happened?"
"I am not cheating on him... I am not cheating on him... I am not- I AM NOT"
"Jazmine?"
"SCREW YOU CAESAR! I AM NOT CHEATING ON HIM!" She pinches her arm until it draws blood. To Michael's horror, he sees the girl in front of him chant like an insane maniac and harm herself until it made a wound.
Is this a nightmare? Pinching yourself always wakes you up.
I am not... I AM NOT CHEATING ON HIM
Her long fingernails are suitable to piercing her flesh.
Jazmine ignores her phone. It's the last thing she has to worry about during a mental breakdown. The last thing she sees before everything turns to a blur is Michael reaching for his phone and desparately calling 911 for help.
Ming Long-Dou and Doctor Huey Freeman are in a huge conference room. They are on the 31st floor of a huge skyscraper that overlooked the city of Seattle. To Huey's right is the exit, to his left are huge glass panes that show the city below.
They are both in formal business attire. Huey had his people schedule a meeting with the Long-Dou family's ambassador and on a winter afternoon, he finally gets the chance to speak with Ming—his childhood kickball rival.
Out of respect, she speaks in English to establish the meeting's dialect. "Let us talk business then."
Huey does not have a lot of bargaining chips, but he makes use with the little he has. He's not here to discuss his work, or things regarding activism. In fact it's actually a bit of a personal matter.
When he was 10 years old, Huey and Ming had competed in their first kickball tournament. The late Ed Wuncler the First had his entire Chinese debt on the line and if the Chinese had won during that day, Woodcrest and surrounding Wuncler holdings would've been transferred over to the Chinese in some sort of sick and demented corporate gambling.
Or so Huey was told. Nonetheless he won the kickball game when he was 10.
When he was 11, Ming gained the upper hand and her team had won the game. She had devoted the following year to training kickball with monks on top of some Buddhist temple as atonement for her failure. Once again, Wuncler had betted a substantial amount of his wealth on that game but despite their loss, nothing serious had been affected that warranted any change to the residents of Woodcrest.
Some plots of land and a couple of franchises changed ownership. Handshakes and deals were done in closed doors and Granddad berated him about his kickball performance and forced him to practice with a kickball firing squad. Granddad didn't get an actual yacht he was promised if Huey had won a second time.
When he was 12. Huey had won. When he was 13. He had won a third time. All eyes tuned in to the kickball game. It was a televised event. Huey was 14 years old now. Their battle on that day was nothing short of legendary.
"I want to buy the land in Woodcrest. Name your price."
The Chinese won their final kickball tournament. Ming landed a home run at the final inning. If he was being honest with himself, she deserved the win. She had basically devoted her entire childhood into beating him in kickball.
Her team showered her in praise, the local citizens were shocked at the repurcussions of their loss. And they both announced their kickball retirements after that game—finally putting their rivalry to rest as she asserted her place as the superior kickball master.
The outcomes of their victory led to the transfer of significant plots of land. Within Woodcrest and around the outskirts. Huge swaths of land were now owned by the Chinese and decreased the land value so much that it led to an isolated housing bubble in the entire Greater Baltimore county.
"My my Huey. You have finally acquired some wealth?" Ming grins.
Huey scowls in response.
Ming continues. "You are running charities... you get a lot of donations. Are you using your donations for your personal use?"
"I'm not. I'm offering the rest of my Grandfather's inheritance."
"Oh..." Ming stops the rest of her berating and turns to a more sadder tone. "Sorry for your lost Huey."
"Let's just continue."
Huey wants to buy a 50 acre property just at the outskirts of Woodcrest. It would be relatively close to their hill and as isolated as can be. For years he has been eyeing that 50 acre land like a teenage boy daydreaming about lamborghinis. If he wanted to be close to Woodcrest and yet live in a remote and faraway area then that was the perfect place he could find.
Ming and the Long-Dou family are the landowners after the kickball acquisition. In context, 50 acres amounted to around 37 football fields and with his negotiations, he could scrounge up enough funds to buy it.
Huey shakes Ming's hand. And a moment later, they bow to each other. They both agreed to a price at an estimate of 1.5 million dollars, it would basically take his entire share of Granddad's inheritance.
"What will you do with the land?" Ming asks.
"Housing."
A few years ago, he had wanted to buy the land and start a community housing project. His goal was to buy the land and lead the construction effort. He wanted to setup a black-majority neighborhood right next to Woodcrest as his own attempt of dark humor. He wanted to ruin Woodcrest's pompous elitist way of life by building an all-black neighborhood right next to an all-white neighborhood.
But ever since he had the fight with Jazmine, he had reconsidered his options. He realizes that he can't just leave her. He has no intention of stopping his career or slow down from making a change in the world but he realizes that he can't just abandon the person he loves.
It's not a ring, instead it's a piece of land. It's his promise that he's going to settle down in Woodcrest and run the Freeman Foundation at a more 'local' location. He plans to buy a small trailer house as his temporary home and when he gets enough money he'll contract someone to build their house someday.
It's not going to be some sort of million dollar penthouse on top of a huge skyscraper. Huey hates the city and the urban chaos of it all. He hopes that Jazmine won't mind if they live in a more nature-like setting. Far from busy streets and noisy neighbors. They would have an entire 50 acres all to themselves and they would be able to do things like hiking, or camping in the forest, or river fishing in their own private property.
Hopefully Jazmine would be interested if he tries to teach her fishing.
He probably shouldn't be making a big purchase like this without discussing it with her. It's a million dollar purchase of just empty land and bold promises. But Ming is gracious enough to cancel the deal if he ever changes his mind. In the world of real estate, there is no such thing as a refund policy but the two are acquainted enough with each other that Ming wouldn't mind if she made a few exceptions.
It's not a ring, but to Huey, it's the closest thing he can find to an alternative. He's just different that way.
Ming smiles, half-mockingly, half-cheerfully. "You are in love! I can tell from your face!"
Huey doesn't respond.
All boundaries of business professionalism and proper etiquette are thrown out the window.
Ming cheers. "It is that Jazmine girl right?! You stupid baffoon! You are in love! That is funny!"
"How the hell is that funny?"
"For such a cruel and soulless man, I find it funny that someone could take the chance to love you!" She jokes at her long-time rival.
For some reason, Huey smirks with her. "I guess so."
After a few more teasing laughs. Ming regains her composure and they celebrate the sale with light small talk. She discusses her line of work as the business representative of her family's corporate empire. How she is always tasked by her grandfather to manage business deals exactly similar to Huey's purchase. She talks about how much she had grown to love her job as much as she loves kickball.
Huey would mention his work as a political activist. He never really proclaimed himself as a civil rights figure but many people would tell him otherwise. He would describe how difficult it is to rally people to action and how in his short career he has tried to challenge corrupt corporations and shady businesses like her own.
Despite their differences and despite living in vastly different lives. They are civil enough to maintain an insightful converstaion and due to the many years of rivalry they harbor a deep amount of respect to each other.
And with a wave of goodbye, Ming signals for her time to leave. She tells Huey that his people will finalize the deal and she can then hand over the documentation for the land.
Ming points out. "We will have to go through each other's governments for taxing reasons."
"I understand."
"Hmm... for old time's sake; allow me to pay the government fees." Ming suggests.
"You don't have to."
"I insist. The Long-Dou family will pay for the taxes. You will not have to worry."
"Alright then... thank you Ming."
"It will take a while to finalize the deal... It may take up to 3 months."
He replies. "That's fine."
"Then it is settled. Farewell Huey. Have the money ready in a few months. And good luck with your future ...prospects."
Huey tried to call Jazmine to tell her about the news. But little did he know, Jazmine was in the midst of a mental breakdown. Blood ran down her arm after relentless self-harm and an ambulance shuttled her fainted body out of the Turkish diner and into the nearest hospital.
Hi. Haven't done review responses in a while. Don't know how to pm people so I'll just put here.
I don't really know how to respond to reviews tbh but yeah
Zeon: Thanks, that was really kind to say
Adventuregirl: I was kinda worried that my writing wouldn't convey my idea properly but you totally get it. Yeah I took a lot of inspiration from biographies by civil rights figures btw and how their careers impacted the people close to them. It was really fun to write how Jazmine would deal with having a relationship with Huey considering the obstacles with a career like political activism.
Thanks and idk if Huey will get a happy ending or not, keep reading to find out :)