Author's Note:

Thanks to Juey for reviewing and to Nexus258 for favoriting and following.

Your feedback really does motivate me to update faster, and it gives me an idea of what you like. So please, feel free to click that review button at the bottom.

I hope you all enjoy this new chapter!

Chapter Three

Step Three:
 When you look good, you feel good.
Don't go back because you feel better.
And whatever you do, do NOT date anyone yet.

Brandy had been pressing her for years, begging her to take some length off her hair.

Before, Jazmine had always turned her down, asking for a wash and go or a silk press, instead.

"Girl, I can't wait til' you stop running scared!" Brandy would suck her teeth when Jazmine refused.

As part of the act, Brandy would place her hands on the shampoo bowl, tap her red nails on the edge, and grab what she needed before getting right to work.

Jazmine always laughed, relishing in the feel of the woman's hands raking through her hair. "I'm not scared, Brandy! You'll see! One day, I'll come in here and do something different!"

It was a fun lie to tell, a force of habit, if you will.

Because the truth was, she was terrified to switch things up. Vince never wanted her to change her hair. He'd been insistent, saying he liked her the way she was, and since he'd met her with long, waist-length hair, Jazmine always worried they wouldn't last if she switched things up.

It wasn't like he'd said he would leave her if something was different about her, but Jazmine had noticed how distant he got whenever something was out of the ordinary with her look. He'd touch her less, be more abrupt, and act disinterested until the rest of the school got on board, which annoyed her a lot less than it probably should have.

After all, Jazmine could relate to hating change.

Her stylist, for example, had opened a new location in the mall, and just looking at the new lime green walls made her uneasy. There were people walking past, doing their daily shopping as they glanced inside with curious eyes, as if she were on display for a moment, like a show pony.

She shook her initial jitters away, choosing to admire the calming stone waterfall near the back of the salon. She wasn't old enough to enjoy the alcoholic beverages at the bar, but her stylist had been nice enough to make her a mocktail that didn't taste too shabby.

After browsing through several photos on Pinterest, she'd finally found the perfect photo to give Brandy an idea of what she wanted, a voluminous, bra strap length cut with face-framing layers and copper highlights.

"Thanks for squeezing me in." Her shoulders were noticeably tense in Brandy's chair. "I'm ready to cut it off this time."

Brandy smiled down at her, nodding.

"A woman who changes her hair is ready to change her life." Brandy ran her fingers through Jazmine's blow-dried hair, staring at her in the mirror. "I know I've been pushing you to do this for a while, but once I grab those shears, there's no turning back. Are you sure you're ready to do this, Jazmine?"

The thought of cutting it troubled her much more than it should have, and something about that bothered her. Her waist length hair had become a security blanket for her, something that was holding her down. She needed to do this. No matter how much it scared her.

"Grab the scissors, Brandy." The strength in Jazmine's voice amazed her. She refused to back out, now. "Let's do this."

Lori Jones hadn't meant to turn Huey into a dumbass; her extreme attractiveness just had that effect on him.

It had been a long time since he'd been this excited for a date, and with the soft, romantic ambiance of the restaurant, paired with the scent of her amber-vanilla perfume, plus, the soft chatter of the other diners in the background, he was on cloud-nine.

Normally, that would be a good thing, but for Huey, it never was. Especially when it came to first dates.

"So, I hear you're off to college next year." Lori took another short sip of water from her glass. "Are you excited?"

Huey felt himself freeze into place; his eyes firmly planted on hers. At the moment, he couldn't remember what college he was going to, let alone how he felt about it. His hands got sweaty, his face heated instantly, and his mouth went dry.

"Yeah, college." He heard himself say. "…..um, yeahhh. It's coo, I guess. Sum light."

Sum light?! He couldn't believe the words that were coming out of his mouth! What was wrong with him? How the hell would this work if he couldn't even talk to the girl of his dreams?

He willed himself to try again.

"I mean. It's just college." He forced himself to stare down at the menu so he could gain his composure. "It's a next step for me, not the end all be all. Plus, the University of Maryland is giving me a full ride. I won't be far from home at all. I'll just move into an apartment closer to school."

"And closer to me." The girl grinned. "I stay in the Quail Ridge Villa with a few friends of mine. It's a great community of college students. Fun, diverse group of cultures, and the walls are well-insulated, which means you won't be able to hear too much of the ongoing parties nearby."

She glanced at him, taking another sip of her water. "My freshman year has been great so far. I'm sure you'll love it too."

"Yeah, Quail Ridge." He nodded like he knew exactly what she was talking about. "I heard all about the parties. That's crazy. I bet you're getting into stuff like that all the time, huh?"

This was even worst than he thought. He'd lost his goddamn mind.

"Ummm…...no?" She picked up her menu and clutched it tightly, holding it over her face for a moment. Definitely not good. "I mean, I love having a good party, but I'm not out there like that, school is my first priority. Everything else comes second."

"That's whassup!" He tried not to let the dejection show on his face. "Nothing wrong with putting the books first, I respect it."

What he didn't respect right now, was himself. He sounded like a different person, and he could see Lori examine him, as if wondering where the Huey Freeman she'd met on yesterday had gone.

"So, what are you eating?" She took another glance at the menu in her hands before giving him a smile. "I hear they make a mean portabello veggie burger. I hope you don't mind. Riley told me you were vegan, and I wanted to respect that. If he was just messing around, we can go somewhere else. I know how he gets, sometimes-"

"No! Here's good!" He decided to pick the first things his eyes landed on. Something, quick, and easy to decide on. "Um, I uhhh….the jackdoot tacos…those."

If he kept this up, it wouldn't be long before she ended their date early. He needed to think fast, before he ended up like Granddad, bragging about successful dates that didn't exist.

"The what?!" She lifted her head to peer at him from behind the menu again. "Huey, look. I think-"

"The jackfruit! I meant the jackfruit!" He exclaimed louder than he should have, causing the entire restaurant to observe the commotion coming from their table. He reached back for the menu to show her what he was talking about, but instead, he accidentally knocked over the large pitcher of water on her side of the table. He winced at her shocked expression. "My bad, let me get that for you."

He leapt to his feet, holding his napkin in his hands to wipe the water from her dress, stopping once he realized his date wouldn't be fond of him touching her chest on the first date.

"Look, Huey." Lori sighed, setting her menu down to study him with her slanted brown eyes. "When I met you in Afro Yoga, you seemed cool. Confident, fine as hell, and quite frankly, a badass…which is hands down, without question, my type."

He nodded, unsure of what he could say without making things worst.
Typically, he fit Lori's exact description. He was just too enraptured by her to be normal. He hadn't behaved like this on a first date since going out with Arielle in the 7th grade, and that had been something to see.

"My bad. I got thrown off my kilter." He tried to adjust with a confidence he didn't feel. "Let's try this again." He extended his hand to hers, making a point to admire her red sundress before his eyes glided up to her face. "I'm Huey Freeman, your local black revolutionary badass, who's foul mouthed as shit. I'm vegan, I teach taekwondo at the Y, and I'm hella excited to start at the University of Maryland, where I'll be majoring in African American studies in the fall."

Her grin let him know he'd made a good second impression, so he kept going. "I'm interested in getting to know more about Lori Jones, the only woman in history who's been able to get a slight sweat out of me in yoga class. So…."

He took his glass of water and calmly splashed it over his clothes before leaning back, gazing intently at her impressed expression. "I'm eighteen, ridiculously smart, and at the risk of sounding arrogant, unlike anyone you'll ever meet. So now that I've evened the score, and we're both covered in water, I suggest we eat something while we dry off. See where this goes."

"You're smooth." Lori grinned, nodding to the waiters he'd suddenly realized were standing nearby, no doubt seeing if she needed to be rescued. They gave him mild, discreet looks of respect for getting his shit together in the midst of her trying to end the date. "You're lucky you're cute. Otherwise? I would've been gone."

He silently thanked his parents for giving him strong genes to work with.

"I'm glad you noticed." He smirked, glancing at the menu in his lap. "Now, you know what you wanna order, yet?"

Brandy spun Jazmine around in the revolving chair, spraying a few last touches of holding product into her hair.

"Okay." She whipped the styling cape off and positioned a few curls over her forehead. "Open your eyes."

Jazmine couldn't believe what she was seeing.

She looked incredible.

The cut made her look way more grown up. It fell around her shoulders perfectly, the highlights making her curls pop even more. The volume was perfect, taking her adorable, innocent face, and making it look sophisticated, a lot less babylike, and well….hot.

"Brandy…" She breathed, tears springing to her eyes. "I love it! I never in a million years thought I could look like this. Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"You're welcome!" Brandy hugged her client. "I always told you it would look amazing if you cut it. Thank you for trusting me with your hair."

Jazmine grinned, still amazed by what she saw in the mirror. "There's actually something else I wanna do today, if you don't mind."

"Of course." Brandy folded up the cape and set it down. "What else are you interested in getting done today?"

"I want to get my brows threaded, and maybe some natural looking lash extensions?" Jazmine sighed. "I've always wanted to try them, and I figured why not today? Maybe even a facial."

"Sure, Jazmine." She grinned. "We can do most of those things. I'll have to think on the falsies, though."

"Fine." Jazmine pouted, kicking herself for not lying and saying had a dance to go to.

She should've known Brandy wouldn't let her go for the lashes. She only allowed her teenage clients to get them for special events. It was the main reason her dad had given Brandy complete autonomy over the upkeep of Jazmine's hair for the past few years.

"Now, I have a question for you." Brandy walked to the back and grabbed something from the receptionist's desk. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah, sure." Jazmine shrugged. She had a feeling that Brandy was about to give her one of her infamous "real" talks, and even though she didn't always enjoy them, Jazmine loved that Brandy cared about her enough to pour into her.

"I would've asked you this when you were underneath the dryer, but you were knocked out." Brandy held up Huey's book and glanced from its cover to Jazmine. "Is this why you're interested in getting all dolled up? To get a certain someone's attention?"

Just the thought of Vince brought her back down to Earth. She frowned. "No. I refuse to go back to Vince, this time. He doesn't deserve me. Huey's helping me get over him."

"Vince?" Brandy wrinkled her nose in confusion. "You're not doing all this for Huey?"

"What?!" Jazmine was astonished. She shook her head and gaped at the woman. "God, no! Why?"

"Oh, Jazmine." Brandy smiled, shaking her head at her. "What you're really refusing to do is admitting the truth to yourself. You have someone in your life that is perfect for you, someone who has been right in front of you all along. You two have something special. I just know it."

"Huey and I are just friends, Brandy." Jazmine shook her head. "You've seen him around before, and even you had to admit that things were genuinely platonic between us."

"That was two years ago." Brandy grabbed some thread out of a drawer on the counter. "I don't know too many young men writing books that help pretty girls like you fall in love with someone else, and I've been on this Earth for over four decades, so I know what I'm talking about. You mean to tell me nobody's asked your pretty self out yet?"

"Well, yeah." Jazmine suddenly remembered Shawn's number in her purse. "But I'm not ready yet. The breakup with Vince is still fresh for me. It still hurts. I need some time before I hop back into dating."

"I get that." Brandy's voice was gentle as she examined Jazmine in her chair. "But did you really think you weren't ready, or did you run into Huey and let him tell you that you weren't?"

She knew her too well.

"He's only doing it because of some stupid bet." Jazmine sighed, watching as the woman began to roll out a facial steamer with some skincare products in the basket, alongside some cucumbers from a small refrigerator in the back. "If I get with someone else in the next two weeks, and I don't go crawling back to Vince before then, he gets two thousand bucks from Cindy."

"Ah, I see." Brandy nodded. "So, he gave you a book on finding a healthy relationship, which is going to take way longer, stopped you from going out with another young man, which would've immediately gotten him the money that he wanted, all because of some dumb bet, huh?"

"It's not like that, Brandy." Jazmine told her. "You don't know Huey. He's always doing stuff like this. His Granddad, his brother, and his best-friend Caesar have all used it. Even his aunt read it. He's just being helpful. It's who he is."

"Sure, that's why he added special notes in his book before he gave it to you." Brandy pointed out. "And before you deny it, there's a page on here that reads, and I quote, 'Extra Rules for Jazmine. Yes, you feel way more confident. Whatever. Do NOT go back. Don't date anyone yet. You're still healing.' Does that sound like someone who just cares about a bet to you?"

"No." Jazmine frowned. "It sounds like someone who's sick of hearing me whine about Vince all the time. This is just his way of shutting that down."

"I guess you would know him better than I do." Brandy shrugged. "I just think it's time you considered him as a viable option. Didn't you say that him and his girlfriend broke up last summer? Maybe the stars are aligning for you two to get together. You'll never know until you try."

Jazmine laughed at the woman and her relentless matchmaking. "Okay, fine. If I ever I look at my friend ten years from now and realize I am hopelessly in love with him, I'll make sure you're the first to know. Deal?"

"Deal." Brandy grinned, lightly pinning her hair back then tying a scarf over it. "Now, let's do this facial and get these brows tamed. I'll show you a trick for your lashes, later. You don't need to worry about falsies yet, but we can make it look like you have some on, anyway. Sounds good?"

It sounded way better than good to her.

She leaned back into the chair, letting the soft sound of the waterfall soothe her until she pushed her thoughts away from what Brandy had said.

There was no way Huey was interested in her.

Besides, she would never fall in love with him, not in a million years.

Huey Freeman rushed into the house, tossing Granddad his keys.

"Thanks, Granddad." Huey headed towards the stairs. "I'm going to my room, now."

"Wait, boy!" He called after him, motioning towards Riley. "You aren't gonna tell us how your date went with Lori?" He smirked. "It was all you could talk with Riley yesterday."

"Yeah…." He sighed, pausing on the first step to meet his gaze. "I blew it."

"I knew it!" Riley was beside himself, doubling over with laughter. "I knew yo ass was gone blow it! Not that fast though. Damn, nigga! What'd yo hatin' ass do? Bore her fine ass to death?"

To his credit, Granddad at least seemed sympathetic. He turned down the television and shot his brother a look. "What happened, Huey? I've seen the other boys Lori has dated. Cutie pie has a type. I thought you'd be a perfect fit."

"I thought so too." Huey winced, recalling how she'd called the waiter to bring the tab thirty minutes after he'd asked for another chance. "I couldn't say anything right, not even after I recovered. Everything I was thinking just came out wrong, and she just couldn't sit back and deal with it anymore. The waiters felt so bad for me they gave me a voucher for a year's supply of free veggie burgers."

"Damn, that is tough. You haven't done that in years." His brother let a low whistle. "You musta really liked her ass, then. If I'd have known you were down that bad, I'd have prepped you more. Lori can be intense. I've seen her in action, and she's no joke."

Granddad nodded. "And we all know I've been on my fair share of bad dates. But it's like you said in your book before, this just brings you one step closer to the person that's meant for you. Don't beat yourself up. It happens to the best of us."

"Not to me." Huey groaned, shaking his head. "I embarrassed myself in front of the finest girl in Woodcrest."

Granddad just shook his head and laughed at him. "Good." He turned his attention to something on television. "That means you're human, maybe even normal, like the rest of us."

"I guess." Huey shrugged and pulled out his phone. "Let me hit up Jazmine and check on her."

Ebony walked in from the kitchen and greeted him with a hug. "Tell her I said hello. How's she doing, anyway? I saw Vince running around town with Deena Henderson yesterday, must be heartbreaking for the poor girl."

"It was." Huey nodded. "But Cindy and I made a bet, so I'm helping her move on. All I have to do is keep her from getting with Vince before these next two weeks are up, and it'll be smooth sailing from there. And even if she breaks the rules and dates someone new, I still get two thousand bucks out of it, so it all works out."

Ebony and Granddad just stared at him.

"So it's yo fault her crazy ass cussed me out!" Riley rolled his eyes, oblivious to the tension in the room. "Man, she damn near tore my head off last week because I told her she was going right back to his lowdown ass, and unless you plan on keeping tabs on her at all times, that's exactly what her crybaby ass is gonna do."

"The hell she is." Huey snatched the Sunday paper off the console table. "She's never going back to him again. I'll make sure of that."

"Huey, I think what you're doing for Jazmine is noble, but do you really think a bet was a good idea?" Ebony's voice seemed to hint at there being something wrong with him making a bet on Jazmine's love life, and while Huey could understand her hesitation, she had nothing to worry about. He didn't plan on taking advantage of her.

"All that I'm saying is… Jazmine's in a vulnerable place right now." Ebony continued. "It might not be a good idea to confuse her with dating someone new right now."

"I agree." Huey nodded, flipping through the pages. "That's why I stopped her from going out with that waiter yesterday and let Cindy know I wouldn't go through with the bet if she didn't give Jazmine more time."

He flipped over to another page, scowling at the DNC's announcement. " Dating? Getting into a healthy relationship? It takes time." He nodded. "So now she has three months to date someone new, and I can still get the money in time for graduation."

"You what?!" Granddad and Riley nearly jumped out of their seats. "What?!"

"I know ya'll think I'm crazy, but Jazmine is not ready." Huey shook his head. "And then, I'd have to hear about Shawn this, and Shawn that. And how Shawn dogged her out with some girl in college. I'm not tryna listen to all that stuff anymore."

"Shawn who works at the botanical gardens?" Granddad rubbed his chin. "He's a nice young man. Majoring in biochemical engineering, good grades, comes from a good home, and has two online internships. We met him looking at wedding venues earlier. He'd be perfect for Jazmine."

"Nah." Huey shrugged. "He's not. You didn't what I saw that day."

"Uhm hm." Riley and Granddad looked at each other, smirking.

"Drop it, you two." Ebony studied Huey from behind Robert's chair. "I think it's sweet that Huey is so protective of a good friend. Just be careful, alright? I'd hate to see you or Jazmine get hurt because of a little bet between friends."

He could've sworn he heard Granddad snicker from his seat.

"How would I get hurt?" Huey shrugged. "I'm not the one who has to date her."

Riley just looked at his brother and laughed, turning his attention to Granddad.

"And this is who everyone thinks the smartest Freeman brother is? Niggas in Woodcrest be tripping forreal!" He kept laughing. "Nigga, this is absolutely gonna blow up in your face. You really can't see that shit coming, can you?"

Huey just rolled his eyes at his family. As usual, they didn't know what they were talking about. The bet he'd made with Cindy was far from complicated.

He had no idea why they were trying to make things harder than what they had to be.

Everything would be just fine.

She had to admit, getting assaulted with compliments was a great ego boost.

"Love the hair, girl!" Another woman grinned at her as she strode out of American Eagle. "That color looks amazing on you."

Jazmine and Cindy were flouncing through the mall, on the hunt for more perfect outfits that would go with her new and improved look.

Thanks to Jazmine having plenty of money left over from all three summers she'd spent working retail, she had plenty of money to blow.

And of course, having the richest girl in school as your best friend didn't hurt.

"Seriously, Brandy did her big one, today!" Cindy couldn't stop staring at her friend. She gingerly fingered one of the coils on her head, completely in awe of the stylist's hard work. "You look so good, bitch! Like a friggin supermodel or something! Even your brows are on point! And am I seeing falsies?"

"Nope. Brandy showed me how to make them pop." Jazmine grinned. "Apparently, if you warm up your eyelash curler with a blow dryer and only apply the mascara to the bottom half of your lashes, it makes a world of difference." Jazmine batted them for good measure. "She added some liner right underneath my lash line to make it look like a lash strip. And thanks to her, I may never go back to falsies again."

"Okay." Cindy grinned. "You're gonna have to show me that later."

She paused in front of Zara at the same time as Jazmine, both of them smitten into silence as their eyes landed on a cute, green outfit in the store's front display. "It's…."

"Perfect." Jazmine couldn't take her eyes off the dark-brown, high heeled calf boots sitting underneath the green corduroy mini-skirt set. "I should get it. It'll be perfect for school tomorrow."

"It is perfect." Her friend agreed, smirking devilishly at the sales rack. "So, let's go."

Jazmine barely finished nodding before Cindy rushed inside the store, grabbing short-sleeved shirts off the rack while Jazmine nearly knocked over a girl trying to get to the boots she'd been eyeing.

She looked over to Cindy, who was already waiting for her at the dressing room.

"You got the skirt set?"

"Hell yeah." Cindy did a happy dance and took one of the bags Jazmine was carrying. "Let me hold your other stuff too. Go try it on! I can't wait to see how it looks on you!"

Jazmine changed in record speed, unable to stop staring at herself in the changing room's floor length mirror. "I'm coming out, Cindy!"

Her friend applauded, putting on her fake Edna Mode accent. "Let me see dah-ling! Show Edna what you are working withhhh."

Jazmine dramatically flung the curtains aside, walking out like a seasoned supermodel in her prime.

The outfit looked even more amazing under the fluorescent lighting of the store. All the other customers stopped to stare at her, whispering amongst themselves as she stopped in front of Cindy and posed with a cute leather bag she'd found for her.

"Shopping is fun!" Jazmine shouted over the applause of the growing crowd, smiling at her friend. "I should've done this way sooner!"

"Yes, bitch!" Cindy posed for someone in the crowd taking a photo of them. "We have to do this more often. I told you switching things up was fun."

"Can you ring this stuff up for me? I'll send you the money on Apple Pay." Jazmine handed over some of the things she'd picked out. "I have to pick up a blouse from Express before they close."

"I got it." Cindy nodded. "I'll be right up there if you get out early."

"Okay." Jazmine nodded. "I shouldn't take too long. I'll be right back!"

She practically ran out of the store, walking as fast as she could….

"Beeeeeeeeeeep! Beeeeeeeeeep! Beeeeeeeeep!"

Jazmine glanced down at her hands and groaned. She'd forgotten to put a set of earrings back. She turned around to set them back on the display where they belonged, but it was too late.

She was face to face with Uncle Ruckus himself, Woodcrest's toughest security guard.

"Well, whadda we have here?" Ruckus eased closer to her, obviously annoyed by her appearance. "I knew the half & half daughter of a darkie would succumb to niggaish activities eventually. The baboon in ya finally reared it's ugly, coon head."

"No!" Jazmine held her hands up in surrender. "I didn't steal anything, Uncle Ruckus! This is all a big misunderstanding! See? I put the stuff back!"

"After you got caught!" He put her hands behind her back, just in time for Cindy to notice what was going on and hop out of line. "You're doing time without bail, half-breed! Ya daddy can't help ya either. Cuz that's a conflict ah interest."

"It's okay!" Cindy called after her friend. "I'm calling someone to get you out of here. Just hold on."

She didn't really have a choice with Ruckus holding onto her wrists so tightly, even with the store owners trying to explain the situation to him.

"I don't wanna hear it!" He continued dragging her out of the store with him. "C'mon, Dubois! Let's go!"

The holding area of the Mall of Woodcrest was dark.

There were several crying, snot-nosed children behind the rusty, reddish brown bars of the small jail cells, sitting on a wooden bench as they waited for an adult to retrieve them.

"I'm here for Jazmine Dubois." Huey flashed his ID at the security guard. "Something about her shoplifting?"

"Uh-uh, you ain't grown!" Ruckus snapped, tugging at the man's jacket. "Tell em, Mr. White Man. Tell him his uppity ass ain't busting that wannabee Cherokee mulatto neighbor of his out! If she wants to look more like a darkie, then she can get treated more like a darkie!"

"Ruckus, we can't hold her!" The man scribbled Huey's name down next to Jazmine. "He's eighteen! He can legally get her out since there's no real evidence of her stealing anything in the first place." The man groaned, staring at something behind them. "Plus she's driving everybody insane with all that singing…."

"Singing?" Huey and Ruckus stared at him. "She's singing?"

The man let out an exasperated sigh and gestured towards the back.

Sure enough….

"I'm lockedddd up! They won't let me outtttt. They won't let me outtttttt." Huey could see her rocking her head back and forth to some imaginary beat, patting her hands on the small bench in the corner.

The small flickering light made her wrongful incarceration look way funnier than it should have been.

"I am begging you." The man handed Huey a key despite Ruckus pleading with him not to set the girl free. "Please, let her out."

Huey nodded at the man, deciding it would be fun to mess with her before setting her free. He crept to her cell as quietly as he could, disguising his voice in an attempt to startle her. "Alright, freeze! I wanna see hands in the air, right now!"

Jazmine stopped singing immediately and flew to the back of the wall. He could see her Uggs a mile away, trying to climb the bricks to freedom.

"Mrs. Dubois, you are under arrest…." He paused as he made his way closer, unlocking the cell with a snicker as he undisguised his voice. "For singing so damn bad! What did these people do to deserve poorly sung Akon lyrics?"

He was surprised when she whirled around. "Huey? You gave me a friggin' heart attack! What's wrong with you?"

He stared at her, unable to take his eyes off her.

"You cut your hair." He blurted the words out before he could think about it. "It looks good on you."

"You're so sweet." Jazmine smiled at him. "Thanks, Huey. I appreciate it."

She glided out of the cell, glaring at Ruckus while Huey gave the security guard his key back. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." The man said dully. "Ever."

"Not a problem." Jazmine shook her hair out, fingering the curls lightly. "I don't think I want anyone hearing about this."

"You mean you don't want people to hear about your angelic voice stopping the youth of Woodcrest from committing crimes for life?" The guard glared at Jazmine. "What a surprise."

Jazmine turned to leave with Huey before it could get any worst. She glanced back at the man one last time, muttering. "I don't think my voice is that bad."

"It's not." Huey was amused. "When you actually try, that is. You have a pretty dope range, between you and me. I don't know why you hide it."

"You know that's our secret!" Jazmine whispered as she glared at her friend, sneaking a look to see if anyone was listening. "Just like your ghostwriting activities."

"I didn't ghost write anything." Huey shrugged.

"Not for Pusha T?" Jazmine joked. "Because I could have sworn you mentioned writing for someone."

"Why the fuck would I write anything for him? It ain't hard to go up against Drake." Huey snorted. "Nobody needs my help for something like that."

"What about, Kendrick Lamar?" Jazmine smirked. "You've never written anything for him? I could've sworn one of his bars sounded like something I heard you say before."

"It was one bar! And you know that only happened because I wanted to teach Riley a lesson. Rapping should be an art form." He snorted. "Instead, it's become a showcase for black buffoonery."

"Never change, Huey. Never change." She smiled, walking with him through the crowded mall. "Where's Cindy?"

"Probably somewhere with Caesar." He glanced towards the other end of the building. "You know how they are. Can't be separated from each other five minutes without losing their minds."

"You're always talking like somebody's granddaddy!" She laughed. "Sometimes you talk about us like we're your kids. You're a teenager too, you know. It's okay to act like it."

"Because ya'll insist on acting like my damn kids." He rolled his eyes. "You didn't think to put everything back before leaving the store?"

"It was an accident, damn!" Jazmine awkwardly rubbed her arm. "I should've known better, and it could've been a lot worst. I'm sorry, okay?"

"Thank you." Huey watched some kids playing on the escalators. "I'm glad you know the truth."

"Whatever." Jazmine looked up at him, realizing something. "Wait, I thought you and Lori were on a date, earlier?"

"Yeah." He winced, suddenly embarrassed again. "That didn't go well. I think it's safe to say I blew any chance I had with Lori. She'll probably never want to see me again."

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad, Huey." She waved at a group of girls gushing over her new look. "Lori's a reasonable girl. If you explain the situation, she'll probably understand. It's normal to have first date jitters. Everyone gets them."

"I spilled water on her face twice, went into a thirty-minute rant about the effects of communism, and I bragged about learning kumite after defeating my inner monologue with the White Shadow, who may or may not have been real." He exhaled, stopping near the elevators in the center of the mall. "If that ain't blowing it, then there truly is a God up there. It was pretty terrible."

"That does sound pretty bad." Jazmine admitted as she patted his shoulders. "But it's okay, just means someone meant for you is coming down the line."

"You read that part already?" Huey's eyes widened. "Good for you, girl!"

"Honestly, no." Jazmine shrugged. "That's something I tell everybody a lot. All black people say it about everything, to be honest. I even think I told you the same thing, right after your breakup."

Huey stiffened, the memories of his own massive heartbreak sending small twinges of pain through his skin. He'd really cared about Arielle, more than he had about any other girl in his life before, and for her to treat him that way?

It had been a level of betrayal he'd never wish on anyone, not even his worst enemy.

"I'm sorry, Huey." Jazmine reached over and hugged him, comforting him the way she used to when they were kids. "I really do understand how you feel. When you love someone the way you loved her, it has to hurt, even after you've moved on. I genuinely believe it'll get better for you, Huey. She's the one missing out."

"That's because you only see the best in me." He confessed. "You all rarely see the worst."

"Oh, please. I've seen the very worst in you, Huey." Jazmine leaned against the wall since no elevator was coming. "I remember all the fights, the time you faced off with the FBI, that time you got in trouble for prank-calling Bush…"

"Which was deserved." He smirked, amused despite the conversation.

Jazmine didn't laugh.

Instead, she moved closer to him, staring into his eyes. "I mean it, Huey. I've seen the worst of you, and I've seen the best of you. All of it is wonderful. If Arielle couldn't see that, then it's her loss. It's not your fault she was disloyal."

Huey didn't know what to say. It was the second time today a girl had rendered him speechless.

"Yeah." He nodded, shaking his head. "It's not my fault."

He smirked at a girl walking past, turning back to laugh at Jazmine's sassy stance as she folded her arms and playfully waved Shawn's number in his face. "Don't hate, Dubois. That'll be you soon enough."

Jazmine laughed. "I can't wait!" She grinned. "This healing stuff is overrated. I'm kind of excited to get back in the dating game."

Huey just shook his head at her. "Well hang tight, soldier. You have to pass the real test first."

"The boomerang won't apply to me, Huey." Jazmine shrugged. "I'm good. Vince won't bat an eyelash when I come back tomorrow. He didn't even come looking for me this weekend."

He fought the urge to tell Jazmine that he had, knowing it would hurt her even more that Vince didn't even know how to find her.

"I saw all those outfits that Cindy stuffed into my car." He kept walking as he smoothly changed the subject. "Including those boots I'm sure you're planning on wearing tomorrow."

"They're cute!" Jazmine protested. "Nothing in your book prohibits me from wearing heels. They make me look good, and they make me feel good. It would be totally unfair of you to try and stop me from making a grand entrance tomorrow."

"Slow down, Oprah." Huey rolled his eyes. "I'm just pointing out that Vince will definitely come sniffing around with you strutting around the school like that. You've never been ugly or anything like that, but your new look makes you look straight up alluring. You've got the whole come-hither thing down to a science right now."

Jazmine's eyes went wide right along with his. He couldn't believe he'd actually told her something like that. "Thanks, Huey. I'm glad you think so. I'm tired of being the only unsexy one in the group."

He looked Jazmine up and down, his eyes widening even more. Jazmine had to be out of her mind if she couldn't see for herself how stunning she was. Yes, her haircut had made a huge difference, alongside whatever else Brandy had done to Jazmine during her day of pampering, but her confidence was where the real difference lied.

"You were never the unsexy one." He shrugged. "You've always been beautiful. Your personality, on the other hand…"

"Insecure, whiny, and pathetic?" Jazmine walked with him towards the arcade. "I know."

He skipped the lecture and let her have it. "You said it, not me."

She nodded, her eyes lingering on the arcade. "Didn't your book say something about doing something fun with friends?"

"Yeah." He shrugged. "Cindy's long gone though. Maybe if Shanice isn't up under Riley, you can still convince her to come. Or you can hit up Casey, I always forget your friends with her, too."

"Oh, I see." Jazmine's voice rose to a humorous pitch, taking on the role of a disappointed friend. "You ain't really as cool with me as I thought."

"And I am officially adding that phrase to the list of things you should never say." Huey followed her into the arcade, taking note of all the retro games from his childhood in the center of the room. "If you wanted me to come, you could've just asked."

"Well, I shouldn't have to ask my best friend these sorts of things." Jazmine kept up the act, her voice taking on a fake-haughty tone. "The friend- in-question should just know when they are needed."

"I see." Huey glanced over at the games, surprised when Jazmine stopped him from pulling out his wallet.

"This time, it's on me." She shrugged nonchalantly, looping her arm into his once the man handed them two plastic cards loaded with points. "Now, let's go. I have an ass to kick."

He stopped in front of one of the games, scanning his card and selected the two player option.

"What a coincidence." He chuckled when Jazmine wiggled on the other side of him, the controller gripped tight in her hands. "So do I."

Thanks for reading!