Author's Note:

Hey, everyone! I'm back with another chapter, and I just want to say THANK YOU for the support!

There are only two chapters left, so shoutout to everyone who helped make Chapter Twelve happen!

Juey: They really do have some dope friends in this story lol. Huey definitely needs all the help he can get. Every time I write Dr. Heat , I really enjoy her presence, she's the perfect voice of reason and really gets into the nitty gritty. And as for, Vince…well….you'll find out how that went verrrryyyy soon.

Seriously, I love hearing your thoughts. Your feedback keeps me hyped to keep writing, so let's keep the good vibes going!

I also want to apologize, I had no idea just blanked out some of the names on this chapter. To make up for it, I'm posting twelve early.

That said…I have the last two chapters lined up and ready to go.

If I get three reviews on this chapter, I'll immediately drop Chapter Thirteen right after.

Same concept for Chapter Fourteen (and the epilogue I'll post at the same time.)

So, drop your thoughts, reactions, or predictions in the comments below, and I'll get the next chapter ready for you. You know the drill—more engagement, more content!

Happy Reading!

Chapter Twelve:

Step Twelve:
For the record, I told you.
Now you're one sad sucka!
It's time to decide once and for all.
Do you really want them back?
Or is it time to start with someone new?

He'd appeared so quickly, Jazmine's heart skipped a beat.

She hopped back, holding her hand to her chest as none other than Huey Freeman stalked up Cindy's driveway, shaking his head at her.

"Huey?" She wiped her cheek with the back of her hand. "What are you doing here?"

"Don't play." He shot her a look as he sat next to her, looking her up and down. "I wasn't leaving you alone to deal with the fallout by yourself."

He gestured to the quiet street in front of her.

"Besides, it's not smart to be out here by yourself. Someone could snatch you up." He said.

Instead of pointing out that didn't happen much in Woodcrest, she nodded, frowning up at him.

"How was the rest of the rehearsal dinner?"

She wasn't surprised to hear him snort, but when he saw that she was actually expecting an answer, he started talking.

"I guess it wasn't bad….if the slow grinding was any indication…" He softened when Jazmine giggled. "Not funny. I think Aunt Cookie nearly broke her hip."

He paused, his face blank again when he turned to look at her, calm and confident, his face so beautiful she could barely focus on the stars.

"How'd your talk with Vince go?"

She kind of wanted to hurt him, tell him she went back.

But now that he was here, she was picking at her t-shirt, unable to lie to him anymore than she was able to lie to herself.

"It was okay." She finally admitted. "He was being honest for a change, saying he actually wanted to give us a shot. I'm the one who took things too far. I kissed him, so I told him I'd think about it for a day and get back to him. I have some stuff to figure out."

If Huey was upset about her doing exactly what he'd told her not to do, she couldn't tell.

"I think that's a good idea." Huey said after a second,causing her heart to speed up a little faster, which was anything but good. "I mean, you need clarity, right? It's between Vince and Shawn, so eventually you're gonna have to choose one of them. Why make it harder than what it has to be?"

She wanted to ask him the same thing.

"Yeah." She nodded. "You're right."

They both paused for a second, their eyes on the night sky.

"So how'd you know I was here?" She asked him, shivering slightly from the cool air settling into the night.

"Caesar." He snorted. "How else?

"Right." She nodded, getting up to leave. "Well, I should head in. Cindy's waiting."

"Not yet." He turned to stare at her, gesturing for her to sit back down. "I have some things to say." He exhaled before he made a startling amount of eye contact, so much so that it took Jazmine's breath away.

She leaned forward, engrossed in him, suddenly realizing why she was ogling him more than usual. He was still dressed up in his button down and slacks from the rehearsal dinner, his fro freshly lined, and a fresh whiff of cologne she'd never smelled on him before.

She felt herself scoot closer, but at the last minute she backed away.

Huey already expressed how he felt about that.

It wasn't right to keep doing this, not if he'd explicitly told her not to. So instead, she kept her eyes on the bush near her porch, nodding.

"Okay." She managed, not wanting to seem weak, but not wanting to offend him either . "Go ahead."

In a weird way, she knew he didn't mind it, even without him saying a word.

But he gave her a small nod anyway, just enough for her to see it out of the corner of her eye. She quickly returned it, waiting for him to start talking.

"About the argument we had." He began, staring her down until he met her gaze. "You were right." He said softly. "It wasn't just you blurring the lines. I was just as complicit as you were, and I'm truly sorry about that." He shook his head. "I shouldn't have taken it as far as I did."

"It happens." Jazmine shrugged. "Two friends of the opposite-sex are bound for some awkward tension at some point."

She forced herself to act normal, to keep her voice as casual as possible, standing up to place a hand on his shoulder.

"What's important thing is that we've talked about it, and we know where we stand." She nodded, backing away. "And now we can be better friends to each other. It's not all bad."

He seemed surprised by that.

"I guess I never thought of it that way."

"That's what I'm here for." She grinned. "To remind you that there's always a bright side."

"Okay…." He snorted. "Now, you're delirious."

He raised a brow, that amused smirk on his face.

"There is no bright side in this world. When you free yourself from hope, you free yourself from the trap of illusion. That's when things get better."

"You know…." Jazmine couldn't help but laugh. "That's a really long way to say you like having me around."

Huey's lips twitched upward before he leaned back one the railing of the porch, staring back at her.

"All that to say you'll be fine." He nodded at Cindy when she opened the door, muttered something about checking on her, and then quickly closed it shut again. "You'll see sooner or later."

"See what?" She furrowed a brow, staring at him again.

He chuckled, something about the sound of it hot and infuriating.

"You'll see."

"No matter how much time we spend together…." She sighed, staring out into the distance. "You still don't get what I'm saying."

"Wanna know something funny?" He spoke up after a second, chuckling as he focused on her. "Neither do you."

They sat that way for a while, until she finally got tired and went in to get ready for bed.

Even when Cindy had drifted off to sleep, when her eyes were fluttering open and then shut, she wondered if she ever would.

The only thing worst than a Chicago native was a Memphis one.

That's why he was waiting on Granddad at four in the goddamn morning.

His Uncle Fred had taken charge of the Granddad's bachelor party, booking several venues and even more strippers.

He'd even sent the bridesmaids gifts of their own, plotting on getting with one of them the night of the wedding.

Tom and Ruckus had begrudgingly come along, and the last he'd heard, thanks to his uncle's non-censored Facebook Live, they were barely even conscious, stumbling around while Granddad and Uncle Fred were having the time of their lives.

If Granddad hadn't shared his location with him, Huey would've been sure they'd gotten arrested, but the dot was thankfully moving closer, jumping from one house to the next, until Granddad and Uncle Fred stumbled through the door, laughing at him.

"Whassupppp with yo serioussss assssss graanddddsonnnn?" His great uncle slurred. "Hisssss assss donnnnn't smillleeee?"

"Nopppe." Granddad smiled, practically floating into the living room as he roughly petted his afro. "He. Is. A. Haaattteerrrrrrr."

"Lawwwwwddddd!" Fred's face contorted into an angry, sorrow-filled expression. "Anything but hatinnnn, lawd! Issa dammnnnn shame!"

"C'mon, Uncle Fred." He went to grab his uncle so he could help him up the stairs. "You can stay in the guest room until you're good to drive." Huey sighed, pushing Granddad into his seat. "And you, stay right there and don't move. I'll be right back."

"You ain't my Daddy, niggaaaaaa!" Fred bellowed. "I can doooo it myseeeelllfff nigga! I don't neeeeddd yaaaa helppppp. Hell, yooooo assssss ain't Rashaad!"

Huey dropped his hands on instinct, watching as both men sobered up instantly.

His uncle looked embarrassed, lifting his hands to say something, but Granddad hopped in front of Huey to point his finger in his face.

"Get yo drunk ass up those stairs! Talkin' to that boy like that!" He fussed. "Of course he gon' act like his goddamn daddy, Fred! His ass is growin' up! Meanwhile, you've been childish for fifty goddamn years! Take ya ass up to bed!"

Fred slumped. "I ain't mean ta-" He huffed, staring at Huey. "Sorrryyyyyy."

"Just go to bed." Huey glared, watching him as he slowly headed up the stairs, relieved when he didn't fall.

After a moment, Granddad turned to him, a wistful look on his face.

"Y'know…" He smiled, leaning back into his seat. "I remember the day me and your grandmomma found out about yo daddy."

Huey groaned.

"Granddad, please, it's late."

"Boy, listen!" Granddad's slur disappeared. "Now, your grandmomma was a character most times, bouncing all over the place, wild and free." He smirked, as if reminiscing on happier times. "But she was quiet and nervous the day she told me she was pregnant. I remember walking in the kitchen just staring at her." He whistled. "She'd never looked so beautiful to me before."

"And you felt that way just because she was pregnant?" Huey raised a brow.

"The pregnancy glow is real, boy." Granddad snickered. "Yo daddy was enhancing that woman in more ways than one! She was-"

"Granddad." Huey yawned. "Can you please get to the point?"

Granddad muttered something about him being ungrateful before he continued.

"The pregnancy helped matters." Granddad rolled his eyes. "But everyday felt better with her because I loved me some Artie. She meant something to me, and us having a child only intensified those feelings." His eyes softened. "I never thought I'd feel that way about anyone else, not until Ebony came along."

He smiled again, nodding at his grandson.

"I'm just…I'm happy, Huey." He said, placing both his arms on either side of him. "Some folks never get to experience that. I've been blessed to experience it twice."Huey nodded.

"That's what's up, Granddad." Huey said. "I'm happy for you."

"I'm happy for me too." Granddad nodded, smiling at him. "Now…" He shot him a look, glaring at him. "Tom told me those kids at the Y tied him up. Sum about them jumping him?"

"Yeah." Huey shrugged. "Protocol for strangers. Standard procedure."

"Uh huh." Granddad gave him a dry look before chuckling. "Well, apparently, that's not all that happened. You called Tom a bad father?"

"Not to his face." Huey raised a brow. "But if you're referring to earlier, when he stopped by hollering about that book, I told him the truth. That he needs to talk to his daughter."

"And she wasn't at the rehearsal dinner because of him?" Granddad seemed to already know the answer to that. He was smug, staring at him like he was just waiting for him to tell him what happened, but Huey didn't plan on saying anything.

It was late, and he was ready to head off to bed.

"Goodnight, Granddad." He said, heading up to his room before collapsing on his bed.

It was weird. . .

The last thing he thought about was Jazmine under the stars, her eyes shining as she glanced up at him.

He didn't think anything more of it.

Instead, he went to sleep, not even noticing his lips curving upwards.

For now, he needed some rest.

When the book said closure wasn't a good idea, she really hadn't thought it was that serious, but now she was seriously starting to reconsider.

"Holdup, you kissed Vince?!" Cindy was beside herself, her feet moving so fast Jazmine could barely keep up with them. "What were you thinking?! Are you crazy?!"

"I know."

"Now, he's gonna think he has the drop on you!"

"Cindy…"

"And he's gonna sleep with you, then break up with you again, only this time he's gonna get you pregnant!"

"Cindy!"

"And you'll end up like Cardi B! Pregnant with three kids while you're arguing with him on Twitter-"

"Or X…." Jazmine shrugged when Cindy gave her a look. "What? It's technically called X now, isn't it?"

"It'll always be Twitter, Jazmine!" Cindy glared at her. "What is wrong with you? Do you have any idea what you're doing right now?!"

"Maybe I do!" Jazmine hollered. "Did you ever think that Vince has changed? That he's truly sorry for everything this time?"

"Then what do you have to think about?" Cindy crossed her arms, staring her down. "What's holding you back from getting back together?"

"What do you mean what do I have to think about?" Jazmine leaned over the counter, grabbing a very stale muffin from the plastic container and dropping it with a frown. "Hello? Shawn! I care about him too!"

"Shawn." Cindy gave her a dry look. "You're holding back for Shawn."

"Don't say his name like that!" Jazmine argued. "There's nothing wrong with me weighing my options!"

"Oh, my bad." Cindy threw up her hands. "What about him? He's suddenly the great love of your life too?"

"I can't believe I came to you for support!" Jazmine frowned, nearly knocking the muffin over as she rushed towards Cindy. "I told you that to rant, not to get an unnecessary lecture!"

"Well, I'm not supporting my best friend going back to someone she should be kicking to the curb!" Cindy yelled. "And I'm definitely not here for you being with Shawn! Not when I know you don't wanna be with him forreal!"

"Who said I don't wanna be with Shawn?" Jazmine shrugged, acting like she could care less.

But Cindy knew her too well.

"Tried kissing him without crying, yet?" She smirked when Jazmine's jaw dropped. "Didn't think so."

"I'm going home." Jazmine grumbled, snatching her duffle bag. "I don't need this right now."

"Yeah!" Cindy called over her shoulder. "Run like you always do!"

"Fuck off!" Jazmine dropped the duffle bag, getting in Cindy's face. "I have a right to think this through! You're just mad because I'm not doing it the way you would do it!"

"I'm just tired of telling you that you deserve better! Over, and over, and over again!" Cindy yelled back. "Jazmine, you have like ten guys numbers! You can easily get twelve more! But when things don't work out, you just cling even tighter to the wrong things! You never adjust and try something new! Even when it's clear that you need to!"

"Easy for you to say!" Jazmine barked back. "You and Caesar fight all the time, and you haven't left once! I've never thrown that in your face!"

"You just did!" Cindy hollered. "And you know what? It's not my problem you don't have a backbone!"

"And it ain't mine that you don't have a heart!" Jazmine stomped off angrily. "Like it or not, it's my choice! And if you can't see past whatever dumb stereotypes you have-"

"Oh, so we're playing the race card, now?" Cindy narrowed her eyes. "You really wanna go there with me?"

"Oh, so you're acting oblivious after calling me a future baby momma now?" Jazmine jeered at her. "I love you, but sometimes you forget that I'm not perfect! It's gonna take time! I didn't just kiss Vince because he's gorgeous, and I'm love struck! I heard him out, I noticed some valid points, and I'm taking a day to consider!"

"Jazmine…" Cindy blinked. "That's not what I meant."

"Yes, it is." Jazmine shook her head. "I'm not a doormat. Vince isn't gonna walk all over me like he has before, and if he does, I'll dump his ass."

She sighed, glancing at her friend.

"I don't mind you expressing how you feel, but I do mind you trying to talk over me instead of hearing me out!"

She stood tall, her chin lifted.
"Cindy….you're the closest thing to a sister I have, and I don't wanna fight with you….but you have to respect the choices in my life. Even if you don't agree with them."

Cindy sighed, coming closer to her.

"I don't wanna fight, either." Her voice was soft. "It's just….I don't want you to forget you have options. I mean….who knows? Maybe you can draw it out. Date them both until you're sure."

"I don't know…" Jazmine shook her head. "Isn't that wrong?"

"Maybe, maybe not." Cindy shrugged. I'm just saying that we're teenagers." Cindy gave her friend a calm look. "We're learning. We don't always have to seek out a perfect, healthy relationship. Our frontal lobes won't develop fully until we're what? Twenty five?"She smiled, nodding at Jazmine. "So have some fun. Play those clowns against each other."

"No…." Jazmine trailed off, amazed by how good it still felt to think of hurting Vince. "My ex may be a piece of work, but Shawn isn't. He's a really good guy, Cindy."

"I dunno." Cindy shrugged. "Wasn't Vince like that when you met him, too?"

Jazmine froze.

Cindy had a point there.

"All I'm saying is…don't put your eggs in one basket." Cindy told her, rushing towards the door when someone honked outside. "Now can we please stop arguing about your dramatic ass love life?"

She threw open the door and blew a kiss at her boyfriend.

"Caesar brought donuts from World's Famous."

She held the box over her head, doing a silly dance with it.

"C'mon girl. You know you want to."

Jazmine threw her head back and laughed, reaching inside of the box.

After all….

Who needed boys when you had donuts?

Ebony and her bridesmaids were out talking, leaving the groomsmen sitting together during wedding rehearsal.

Granddad was fussing at the priest for his awkward speech, saying there was no need for him to bring up his run of bad luck with several other women.

And Aunt Cookie was micromanaging the poor event planner, making sure that nothing was out of place and that she'd included at least one of her recipes in the buffet at the reception.

His Uncle Fred glanced at Huey and stretched his legs out, laughing aloud when Riley sat on the other side of him, shaking his head at Ruckus and Tom bickering over something.

"Is it always this crazy around here?"

"Mane." Riley shook his head, snorting. "Most of the time, it's worst. These niggas are crazy as hell out here. I swear you ain't seen the half."

"At all." Huey nodded. "They got bombs, guns, crazy white people trying to blow everything up….and what's even crazier? They're constantly getting away with it…."

They all paused, staring at each other.

"America."

His Uncle Fred laughed again, glancing back at him and Riley. "You know, I never thought I'd be sitting here with my brother, talking to two kids who kinda remind me of me and Robert as kids."

"Time shole does fly." He softened, looking over at them. "I knew life would be good." He spoke softly, staring back at their other family members in the back. "I just ain't think it would be this good."

Huey and Riley fell silent, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why.

"When your parents died the way they did…." Fred sighed, glancing down at the floor. "I wondered if things would ever be good again." He smiled sadly. "But seeing the life ya'll built here…how well adjusted ya'll are…I guess I have my answer."

They both blinked, staring silently until Riley broke the silence.

"I mean I get worrying about Huey….cuz he's a hater." Riley smirked. "But you ain't everrrrr gotta worry about Young Reezy!" He beat on his chest, nodding like he was spitting some deep soliloquy.

"A nigga like me ain't eva gon' be down!" He proclaimed. "I'm focused on gettin' dat paper, ya heard?!"
Fred wasn't sure what to say, so he turned to Huey instead.

"What the hell is your brother talking about?"

Huey just shook his head.

"He doesn't know."

But the conversation had led him to a different conclusion, a way he could make someone else happy before he went away.

It was that decision that led him to do the unthinkable.

Huey pulled out his phone and sent a quick message, hoping it wasn't too late.

Hey. Hit me up when you get a chance.
We need to talk.

It wasn't long before he got a response, but before he could even read it…

"Nigga, what?" Granddad shouted, closing in on the priest. "You'd better not say that shit, either! Why would you mention my kung fu fighting ass ex at my goddamn wedding? Nigga I'll kumite yo ass to the grave right with her crazy ass!"

He rolled his eyes, heading to the back.

He couldn't wait for this day to be over.

She couldn't believe it.

For the first time in her life, retail therapy hadn't worked.

Her hair looked amazing, she felt confident about her outward appearance, no flaws really stood out to her in the mirror.

But despite being in the mall, sipping one of her favorite frappuccinos from Eight Brew, she was somehow miserable while looking flawless.

She just didn't get it.

Jazmine had been so excited to make Vince jealous before. Dating Shawn and being able to rub that in his face would've made her super happy a few weeks ago.

Like Cindy said, she had options! It wasn't like the guys she'd turned down stopped asking her out altogether.

There were at least twelve guys who'd asked her out five minutes ago, and she'd said no!

All because she was still confused.

She still loved Vince, and he still loved her. She still wanted Shawn, and Shawn still wanted her. It was all incredibly simple.

Wasn't it?

She sighed, already knowing the answer.

It wasn't, not anymore.

Because Shawn was everything she'd always wanted and Vince was everything she'd always had, and if she had to really think about it….

She still didn't know what she wanted.

Jazmine groaned, about to grab another sugary drink to soothe her nerves, when she saw Ruckus standing over her.

"Seriously?!" She yelped. "Ruckus, what are you doing here?"

"Workin'. He smirked, almost amused as he shook his head.

"You'd think a young half n' half like yaself would be a little more cheery!" He remarked, his eyes softening ashe gently sat in the chair next to hers. "What's da matter, huh? That pigskin throwin' negro playin' wit' yo' heart again?"

"What?!" Jazmine wrinkled her nose, already annoyed with his outrageous commentary. "No! That's ridiculous! We're not together anymore."

But Ruckus wasn't backing down. He stared at her, even when she crossed her arms and stared back, until finally, Jazmine caved.

"….Yeah." She nodded. "He did."

"You can't help you got a good for nothin' darkie for a daddy." Ruckus shrugged, nodding as if he had all life's wisdom in the center of his palm. "Ya done lived and breathed dysfunction all ya life! A white woman and a black man together? That's already bad enough." Ruckus shook his head. "But you grew up watchin' em fight, and scream, and holla, and then come back and say they love each otha. So yo ass think that shit is normal when it ain't."

Jazmine's eyes widened.

Her love life was worst than she thought if Ruckus was making the same point as her therapist, with a few…unhealthy insights thrown in.

"Now the first thing ya need to do is tap into your white side." Ruckus nodded. "If a white woman wouldn't deal with it from these nappy headed negrums, neither should you! That little nigga will be dodging child support in another year!" He shook his head. "Probably will have three or four weave-wearin', rump-shakin', African-booty-scratchin-"

"Ruckus!"

"Okay, what?" Ruckus cocked his head to the side. "You went over there for sum kinda closure or something?"

He gave her a knowing look when she didn't say anything.

"He said he loves ya, it's gon' be different, and ya felt all these emotions, right?" He nodded when Jazmine stared up at him, shocked. "We've all been there, lil guh. Even me."

He laughed loudly, not seeming to care that a few people were watching.

"See…I come from dysfunction, sorta. It's just not in my blood like you." Ruckus explained, nodding his head as Jazmine groaned. "Even though I was raised by a bunch of good for nuthin, evil-ass darkies, I ain't let that shit get to me. Cuz they ain't shit, and they ain't gon' never be worth a damn!" He shouted, pounding his fist into the table.

"But you wanna know what I did?" He snorted. "I got up outta that mindset and did something about it! No more makin' excuses for the same dysfunction their little monkey asses stayed in all they nigga lives."

"….Um." Jazmine sheepishly raised a brow. "I don't get what that has to do with me."

Ruckus sighed.

"Looka here, half breed." He pointed at her. "Ya ain't foolin' me. Ya ain't foolin' him. Hell, ya barely even foolin' yaself! You don't want that boy! And you don't want that other lil boy you've been running around with, either."

There was no use in lying to him about it.

"I…I guess you're right."

"I know my white ass is right!" He snorted, getting up to walk away. "So do us all a favor and tell those boys the truth! Just like a darkie, sittin' around mopin and moanin' instead of savin' yourself! Roll up your sleeves and get it over with! Stop makin' all those nigga excuses and be done wit' it!"

"It's not that simple, Ruckus!" Jazmine snapped. "I'm not heartless! My feelings for Vince didn't just go away overnight! It's not that easy for me, like it is for you! I still care about them…both of them."

In a rare move, one he rarely gave anyone who wasn't white, Ruckus smiled at her.

"Well of course not." He shook his head. "You've always been the superior darkie in Woodcrest. You're smart enough to care about folk. You get that from that blue-eyed, blonde haired momma of yours."

He tipped his hat to her, twirling his baton.

"Be smart enough to care about yourself, lil monkey." He shrugged, lifting from his seat. "Cuz lemme' tell you something, it's gon' be a long time before you find anotha darkie that will."

She sighed, hating that he was right.

Minus the racially charged comments, of course.

She lifted from her seat as well, preparing herself to leave.

There was only one thing left to do, and she knew it.

It was time to stop running.

Huey was surprised to see her so soon.

"Arielle." He nodded, gesturing towards the waiter at the vegan truck. "Thanks for meeting me. here I appreciate it."

"Of course." She nodded. "I'm kinda surprised you reached out." She raised a brow. "The last time we saw each other, we ended up escorted out of a stadium."

"Yeah…" Huey grimaced. "I owe you an apology, I guess. I should've stopped Jazmine sooner."

"I actually owe you one." Arielle sighed. "I owe you a lot of things, I guess, including a formal explanation."

"Don't mention it." He shrugged, glancing over towards one of the tables outside. "I actually just wanted a favor for Riley."

"Riley." Arielle raised a brow. "Graffitti-loving, fire-starting, foul-mouth having Riley?!"

"The one and only." Huey nodded. "I want him involved in something that'll keep him occupied while I'm busy with school. And since your uncle is on the board of all those art programs here in Maryland and in Chicago…."

"You want me to put a good word in for your brother." Arielle smirked, leaning back to think about it. "I mean….a busy Riley is a lot better than an idle one." She shuddered. "Trust, I remember how that went."

They both laughed.

"I'd be happy to put in a good word." She pulled out her phone. "I still have a lot of photos of his stuff, including the portrait you had him make of me, the J Edgar Junior High tags, and the ones he made of you smiling. He'll probably get in. He's crazy, but he's hella talented."

"Thanks." Huey nodded, relieved when his to-go plate arrived. "Well…I don't wanna hold you, so…."

"Not yet." Arielle held her hand up, her face serious. "I still owe you that apology."

"I'm over it now." Huey shrugged. "It's all good."

"Doesn't matter." Arielle shook her head, gesturing for him to sit down. "When you walked in on me that day, I was embarrassed, but to be real, I wanted it to happen." She admitted, dropping her head in shame. "That's why I understand why you just cut all communication afterwards."

She lifted her chin, managing to look him in the eye so he could see that she was sincere.

"I really did love you, Huey." She said, her voice quiet. "But we were so serious for so long. I guess…I guess I just didn't know how to end things. What I did was wrong, and I'm sorry. I am so sorry for hurting you the way that I did.

Huey didn't say anything for a moment.

For Arielle to cheat on him and then come back later, just to tell him she'd wanted to get caught was anger-inducing for sure.

But to his surprise, it was the disrespect that bothered him. Not her.

Not anymore.

"Look." He sat up straight, staring into her brown, guilty eyes. "I won't lie. I'm still angry about what you did. You could've broken things off a lot sooner instead of playing me the way you did."

"I know." Arielle looked down at the ground, sighing. "And again, I'm sorry."

He paused for a moment, still petty enough to let her stew in the awkwardness of it all.

When he saw her wriggle uncomfortably a third time, he finally opened his mouth.

"Apology accepted." Huey shrugged. "I'm good, now that I've had time to think things over. Now that I've been seeing other people, I get it. Sometimes it's hard to cut things off."

Arielle let out a huge breath of relief, giving him a soft nod.

"For the record…" She nodded, glancing up at him with that sweet expression he'd used to love so much. "You really were a good boyfriend."

He nodded, his eyes never wavering from hers.

"I know."

It actually wasn't hard to hold a conversation with her. It was still just as easy as it'd always been.

Maybe this closure thing wasn't as dumb as he thought.

Huey hadn't realized he'd been looking for answers until she given him them.

And now that she had, he could finally lay that story to rest for good.

And towards the actual great love of his life.

Shawn hadn't been surprised when she'd told him she couldn't keep seeing him.

"I knew something was off." He chuckled, his eyes filled with longing as he looked her up and down. "I wish things had turned out different, though. I hope the guy you end up with realizes what he's got." He smiled at her. "Because you really are a gem, Jazmine Marie Dubois. Don't ever forget it."

"Thanks, Shawn." She smiled sadly. "I hope you find the person for you too. You're an amazing guy. I know you'll find someone one of these days, probably even sooner than you think."

"Likewise." Shawn smiled at her, turning around to head into his house. "Take care. I hope you find what you're looking for."

She stood there, feeling both awkward and relieved. Then she smiled her sad smile again and headed to her car, taking a deep breath as she headed over to Vince's house, where he was sitting there waiting.

She didn't turn on the radio, or twitch nervously in her seat. She didn't even call Cindy or Huey to tell them about what she needed to do.

Because Dr. Heat was right.

When the time came, she'd know exactly what to do.

"Hey." Vince rushed over before she could even open the door.

"I'm glad you came back, girl!" He playfully punched the air near her arms. "Man, you were gone running off on me the other day. I started to think you were ghosting me, and J."

She glanced back at the door. "Are your parents home, Vince?"

"Nope." He grinned even wider. "Out all night. Why?"

"Well, for one." She leaned onto the wall, relieved to say what she was gonna say. "This would be easier to say if they were." She sighed, shuffling her feet together. "Vince, that kiss was a mistake. I was vulnerable, frustrated with dating new people, realizing new things about myself, about what happened with us."

"Are you…breaking up with me?" Vince's eyes widened.

"We've been broken up for weeks, Vince." Jazmine raised a brow. "Just because you don't take me seriously, it doesn't mean it didn't happen."

"That's not what I meant, girl." Vince tried to pull her into his arms, but she pushed herself away. "Let's be serious for a second. Baby, this is us we're talkin' about. You can't say that kiss was nothing! It was everything."

Jazmine sighed, shaking her head.

"This was only about me being confused." Jazmine stepped towards him, eyes blazing. "I only kissed you because I wanted something to make sense." She nodded, the lightbulb finally going off in her head. "But the changes I've made are for the better. Leaving you and this relationship is for the better. This isn't healthy for me, Vince."

"Jazmine-"

"You love the chase more than you ever loved me, anyway." She made her way back to her car, relieved to see he wasn't that upset either, not even trying to come after her. "It's better if we keep things the way they are." She paused, staring back at him. "I hope you understand."

Vince just stared at her, starting to show how sad he actually was.

"I do." He nodded. "And I'm sorry."

She paused before opening the car door. "Me too."

When she finally pulled out of the driveway, she let out a shaky breath of relief.

For the first time in her life, she'd actually chosen herself.

Huey was right all along.

Everyone was.

And now that Jazmine had officially earned Huey his money, she could finally reward herself with ice cream at her favorite parlor.

She headed downtown, excited to eat some ice cream after several weeks of grieving.

After everything that happened, she'd earned it.

Huey didn't know why the hell he was watching his ex devour ice cream, but he was…amused.

Arielle was the only girl he'd met that acted just as old as he did. So to see her swinging her legs back and forth, digging into a bowl of strawberry ice scream with sprinkles with a giddy smile on her face?

Coming here might have been worth it after all. This shit was hilarious.

"It's not funny." She narrowed her eyes when she noticed him watching.

He shook his head.

"Yes, it is." He smirked. "I mean…c'mon. You're acting like someone else right now."

"Lemme guess…" Arielle leaned forward. "Someone like….Jazmine?"

Now that he thought about it, that was exactly who she was reminding him of right now, which explained why her doing that had put him in such a good mood.

It wasn't until he looked up that he saw Jazmine standing there like a deer in headlights, obviously not planning on running into them.

"Um…I'm here because the bet's over, and I wanted ice cream. I didn't even know you were here." Jazmine blurted, her eyes wandering from him to Arielle then back to him. "I figured it out and told Vince that the kiss was a mistake, that we won't be getting back together. And I told Shawn the truth, too. He's a great guy, but my heart's not in it with him."

He didn't know why he was a little disappointed that all the fun was over, but what he did know was that he was proud of his friend.

"So…." He nodded at the menu. "You're here to wallow in junk, I presume."

"You know it." She grinned, her eyes lingering on Arielle. "And you two are catching up, I see."

"Yeah." Arielle shrugged, grinning at Huey with a hilarious radiant smile. "Just talking some things out."

"Good." Jazmine smiled softly. "I'm glad."

But Huey knew her better than that.

Something was wrong.

"You sure you're good?" He asked her, studying her closely when she averted her gaze.

"Yeah." She smiled, glancing up when her name was called. "Just ready to get home and dig into this ice cream. I'll see you around." She waved at Arielle politely, like she'd never beat her ass a few weeks ago. "It was nice seeing you again."

Arielle squinted, but she'd obviously learned her lesson about setting Jazmine off. "Nice seeing you too."

"Okay then." He frowned, watching her grab her ice cream and rush out of the door.

"See you later."

This was bad.

This was worst than bad, actually.

It was terrible.

The most jaw-dropping, painstaking, shortsighted, idiotic thing she'd ever done in her seventeen years of living.

Because as hard as she'd fought it...

As much as she'd denied it, willed it away, tried to ignore it.

The truth was finally out. For her, anyway.

And the truth was, she didn't just like Huey, or have some weird vulnerable crush on him.

She was in love with him.

Suddenly everything she'd done the past few weeks made sense.

That's why she couldn't give her heart to Shawn, why she'd kissed Vince right after Huey had told her there was nothing more between them, why Liam had said what he'd said….

Why everyone had said what they said.

"Oh…my…GOD!" She gasped, smacking the steering wheel of her car as it all hit all at once. "I'm so stupid!"

How could she have missed it?

How could she have thought for one second she was just getting over Vince? She'd been falling for Huey the entire time!

Until she'd seen him with Arielle in the ice cream shop, it hadn't clicked.

Not really.

But when she'd noticed them, noticed how hurt she was just seeing him with her, how much she wanted to rip Arielle's head off for even daring to get close to him again after hurting him the first.

She'd suddenly realized she didn't want any girl anywhere near him ever again unless that girl was her.

Because she wanted him.

Because she loved him.

So in a way, Huey's book had worked.

Unfortunately, it just worked a little too late.

Arielle was much better at reading people than him.

So he shouldn't have been surprised when she snapped her fingers at him, leaning back as she took more bites of her ice cream.

"Can you stop that?" He snapped, rolling his eyes at her. "Either tell me what you're thinking or look away. I can hack Riley into an art program myself. I don't have to be that nice to you."

"Okay, then." She shrugged. "Go ahead, make it easy for me to give the feds more ammo against you. It ain't my fault you want Jazmine."

"What'd you say?" Huey raised a brow, glaring at her.

"You heard me." She rolled her eyes and set her spoon down into the glass bowl. "You want her. It's so obvious you two are feeling each other. Don't play dumb with me."

"You've clearly lost your mind at school." He shook his head. "I was just helping her to get over Vince and date someone else. You of all people should remember how fun the Vince days were. I haven't fallen for Jazmine at all."

Even Arielle looked irritated at the thought of Vince and Jazmine's constant drama.

"Okay…." She nodded. "The Jazmine and Vince merry-go-round did get old fast, but that doesn't explain why you two were looking at each other like, like…."

"Like, what?" He glared at her. "We're just friends!"

"No, you aren't." Arielle shrugged again, going back to her ice cream. "Don't get mad at me. I just call it like I see it, and what I see right now…are two people who have it bad for each other."

"Jazmine's just vulnerable right now." He shrugged. "It'll pass."

"Okay, sure. Let's go with that." Arielle chuckled, staring at him. "Just tell me one thing. What's your excuse?"

"Like I said, just friends." He shot her a look. "So, drop it."

"Like I said." She lifted her spoon, ready to finish off the little bit of ice cream she had left. "You're not."

He ignored her and picked up his phone.

People swore they knew everything.

Jazmine really wasn't in the mood to talk to both her parents.

"Mom, seriously." She tried to head up the stairs again. "Not tonight."

"Yes, tonight!" Her mom blocked her path forward. "Enough with the silent treatment, Jazmine! We need to talk, now!"

"I don't need to talk to you right now." She grumbled, pushing past her to get up the steps. "I need to go to my room! I-"

Jazmine's father gently pulled her backwards.

"What are you doing?!" She snatched away. "Guys-"

"We are tired, Jazmine." Her dad stood next to her mother. "You won't talk to us. You apparently are barely talking to Huey. And speaking of him…" He held up Huey's book. "I found this in your room."

"You were spying on me?!" Jazmine snatched the book back. "What is wrong with you?!"

"Your father and I are just worried about you, okay?" Her mother stepped forward. "I know what you're feeling-"

"Trust me." She rolled her eyes. "You really don't. I've had an awful day, and I really need some time. Please let me go to my room. It's not a good time, right now."

But her mother could care less. Instead, she moved forward, saying all the wrong things.

"I get that the news of me getting married was a shock." She spoke gently, as if talking to a small child. "Especially so soon after the divorce. But shutting us out is wrong, honey." She shook her head, coming closer as her father did the same. "You're too old to be acting so childish."

"Childish?!" Jazmine blinked, not believing what she was hearing. "You went gallivanting off to New York with your boy toy, cancelled on me every time I tried to talk to you about my boy problems, and then, you just pop up engaged, which by the way came in between us discussing said boy problems in the first place!"

"Um, okay." Her father stepped backwards, clearly surprised. "Maybe this does requires a little cool off time, Sarah. She doesn't mean that. We should just-"

"Why do you always do that?" Jazmine glared at him. "Why do you always have to make her comfortable with being a crappy person?"

They both stared at her, their jaws slack.

"You wanna know why I barely talk to you? Or why I don't come to you with anything? Because you never really want to know!" She shouted, surprised by how good it felt to get it all out in the open. "You guys have been skirting around stuff my whole life, and then coming to me, asking me what's wrong!" She hollered. "But guess what?! It's you two! You're my problem!"

"Honey, just tell us what we can do…" Her father reached for her. "Tell us how we can fix it."

"I shouldn't have to!" She groaned, collapsing on the couch in the living room. "I never have to explain it to my friends! Or to Mr. Freeman! Or to Cindy! Or Caesar! Or Riley! Even Ruckus knew something was wrong before you did!" She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "And we….we all know that Huey has always known. Even when we were kids, he was helping me deal with stuff." She held up the book, pointing at it. "That's why he ended up being the one to help me get over Vince, not you two. You never even wanted to until you saw he was doing it!"

"But Jazmine-"

"No, Sarah." Tom placed a hand on her shoulder, visibly upset as he looked at his crying daughter. "She's right. We haven't been active parents. We haven't created an environment that ensures our child is happy and emotionally fulfilled. Jazmine has every right to feel the way she feels."

"Gee, Tom! What a man." Her mother rolled her eyes, still glaring at Jazmine. "It's no wonder-"

"Get out." Her dad opened the door, his stance strong as he lifted his chin, staring at her.

Her mother's jaw dropped.

"What did you just say to me?"

"Get. Out." He blinked, leaning in with a smug look on his face. "We're tired. Come back later."

"But I have plans!" Her mother pouted. "We need to work this out tonight, Tom!"

Tom just stared at her in disbelief.

"Maybe add parenting to those plans like the rest of us." He slammed the door in her face. "Until then, Jazmine and I are going to bed."

Her mother stomped away, her heels clacking down the driveway until she started the car and left.

Jazmine didn't know what to say.

And judging from the look on her father's face, neither did he.

"Are you okay with us talking about this tomorrow?"

"Sure." She yawned. "Tomorrow is fine."

She'd be good if they never talked about it again.

She'd had enough confrontation for one day.