Author's Note: Welp, hello guys *cue the crickets*. This is awkward. Again, I greatly apologize for the uncalled lateness. School and life. But guess who's a nurse now guys? Me. I'm so happy. But I'm so not used to having this much free time. I'm so used to burying myself in textbooks. I thought I might as well end the year with an update, na mean? My new resolution for 2019 is to TRY to finish at least of my stories. I plan to make this one be one of them. I'd like to give a big shout-out to SammiSweetheart for keeping in touch with me and encouraging me to continue with this banger. Thanks girl. Honestly, as well as everyone else, y'all have never let go of this story and have shown tremendous support. Love you guys. Shout-outs are located below, at the end of the chapter to be exact.
Anyways, let's get this show started.
Disclaimer: Don't own Boondocks. Just borrowing Aaron McGruder's characters for entertainment.
Opposites Attract
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Chapter 11: Dark.
"So Jazmine, how did you and Huey end up being so close?"
"Yeah, foreal spill the tea. The boy is fineeeeee af."
From afar, she couldn't help but roll her eyes. She thought it was funny how all those girls were suddenly interested in her business. Nothing wrong with being friendly. But where was all of this energy when she didn't have Huey in the picture?
Both arms folded, Cindy McPhearson leaned against the wall, observing the crowd. Huey sure wanted to get rid of the girls quick, he had in fact dropped them off to school way too early. They had 10 minutes to spare before the start of their class.
Some may say that it was perfectly normal, but to the blond gal it was not. It was giving the universe an extra 10 minutes for both of them to get harassed by the student body. They were only here to do their final. That was it, that was all.
"I don't know, we just vibe well," Jazmine shrugged with a quick giggle.
Cindy had to roll her eyes once again. Really sis. Since when do you even say vibe ?
"Seriously, tell us your secret. How and why you got Huey to drive you guys to school?"
Ever since this morning, Jazmine DuBois has been losing count of people who had asked her that question. It could just be the lack of air, as she was getting suffocated by her nosy classmates. It was like personal space didn't exist to them. They were currently in English class and all the female students huddled around her for answers. Class was about to start in less than 10 minutes and none of them showed any care for the matter. In fact, annoyance could easily be distinguished from the opposite side of the classroom, coincidentally where all the males sat. Some rolled their eyes and could just not wait for class to start.
She blinked, thinking of the right way to answer. They shouldn't know about their living arrangements with the Freeman Bros. "He offered."
One of the other female classmates chipped in, "That's it? Girl, he is Edgar J. Hoover's finest bad boy. You lyin."
"Yeah! He couldn't have just 'offered' you guys a ride.
Jazmine shrugged, "Well he did. He is actually pretty cool."
Another nosy classmate pushed through the crowd, finally face-to-face with Jazmine. "Sis, you have to tell us this...does he like like you?"
At this moment, the lamb's blood rushed to her face. "W-what makes you ask that?"
"He seems like the type who'd rather do something else than help you. I mean, guys, especially like him, are hella cheap with gas and their car. So for him to offer a ride means something."
Her heart was doing summersaults. Huey Freeman liking me? The statement made sense to the teenager. She wanted to believe those words so bad. She wanted to believe that it wasn't just because of their current living arrangements that he has been very patient and nice.
She wanted to believe so bad that maybe, just maybe, he was finally seeing her in a different light.
But she needed to face reality for what it was. He didn't like her like that. She shook those thoughts out of her mind. Don't get her wrong, she was determined to get her prince-charming sooner or later. But she knew it just wouldn't be the right time now.
Her main priority was settling back to her normal daily routines.
At least to get accustomed to the unexpected turn her life has taken.
Jazmine giggled nervously, "Him liking me...nooo, I don't think so."
"Sis please, we know you like the man."
She sweatdropped. "What do you mean?"
"For Jesus Christ Jazmine, you liking Huey is as obvious as Cardi B's failed marriage."
The whole class erupted into laughter, pointing fingers at the embarrassed girl. It bothered her that they were laughing about it, as though they didn't just swoon over him a few seconds ago.
"Honestly, I don't even know why we thought he'd like her. They'd never in a million years be a couple."
"Right?! She's...just innocent ol' Jazzy and he's Black Dragon. They're complete opposite." said another rude classmate as she was pinching one of Jazmine's cheeks.
"Plus her chance with him was long gone from the beginning. Didn't she scream something about his bucking-ham when they first crossed path?"
"Or what about that time a few weeks ago, when she exposed his gang affiliation status to the whole class?"
"Or what about that other time when she humiliated herself trying to protect his car from those local gangbangers."
Her heart went from doing summersaults to getting brutally stabbed. There they go again, treating her as a child. And of course they had to bring up the very same memories she desperately wanted to forget. It seemed that losing the piggytails didn't do much. To give herself a mature look, she opted for a new hairstyle. No matter how much she tried to change up her appearance, she would forever remain as the innocent lamb. At this rate, Huey would never like her more than as an acquaintance. She was doomed to stay in the friendzone.
Cindy shuffled through the crowd, pushing away the people who did not get the memo of backing the fuck off. She made sure to accidentally step extra hard on one of the girls' Balenciaga sneakers - for sneak-dissing Jazmine. "Ouch!"
"My bad,"...sike, thought the blonde gal. "But y'all, show's over. You know how that damn teacher gets when we not in our seats. Now fuck off."
Nobody dared to disobey the woman. When she said it was time to go, it was time to go. Everyone hurried back to their seats and soon silence occupied the classroom.
The two best friends were the only ones standing up at this point, both exchanging glances. Cindy winked with a small smirk, but her lips fell back into a flat line when Jazmine awkwardly waved with an indifferent look.
"You good Jaz?"
She sat down, her back facing her. "I'm fine. Thanks."
Cindy felt disheartened. Just when she was about to say something, the slam of the classroom door took her attention.
"Class, no talking. Let's get on with this final, shall we?" the English teacher glared to Cindy as he sat his suitcase down onto his desk. "Ms. McPhearson, you know the drill, sit down."
"Sorry sir." she slowly sat down.
From there, the whole class got straight to business. Their exam was handed to them and classmates bidded good luck to each other before officially starting. 30 minutes into the final, Cindy would occasionally take breaks from filling out her answer sheet. In those little moments, she couldn't help but shift her focus on Jazmine.
When would this girl move on and stop with the silent treatment? It was getting hella old.
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He told himself that he'd stop smoking, but his fingers snaked their way inside his pocket for the pack of cigs. This would make the 70th time he broke his promise. Guilt used to eat him alive when he first went against his smoking cessation, but he just didn't care anymore. His subconscious taunted him to give in to the temptation, that there was no reason to stop. If he gets sick from such thing, then so be it.
This moment, Huey Freeman desperately needed one.
He was currently about to meet one of his subordinates from his former gang. Let alone in a shady bar located not too far from the girls' school. If anything went wrong on their end, he could always dip and check on them.
"Sir, no smoking is allowed here," spoke the bartender as he took the cigarette from Huey.
He rolled his eyes. "Fine, can I just have water."
The bartender nodded before tending to him. "Sure, it's on the house."
"Well I hope. What kind of bar forces a client to pay for water?"
"This bar. Welcome to Woodcrest sir," he gave the glass of water.
Huey shook his head and muttered, "This is why we left this dump years ago. Expensive for nothing."
"Bruh. Clearly your cheap attitude still stands."
Huey immediately recognized that voice. It belonged to no other than a notorious jackass who rocked with him since they were both 10 years old. When they used to plot ways to vandalize Woodcrest and start a revolution. When they stood by each other through their growing pains.
He turned to the person with a smirk, "Took you long."
Michael Caesar sucked on his teeth, "Man, you not gonna stop with the attitude and give yo man a dap?"
They shared a dap, and both sat down. Huey couldn't help but feel nostalgic. "I never thought I'd see you again."
"Same man. I still can't believe you completed that bloody resignation. The whole crew was talking about it for days. Like damn, you the first to be successful."
Huey looked away for a second - it was enough time for the memory to replay itself in his mind. He could still vividly remember the 12 individuals like it was yesterday. "Yeah. Sometimes, I feel like Duey only agreed to that deal, because he didn't think I would do it."
Caesar surveyed the area before continuing. "Well, served that nigga right. You the first to put him in his place. Things ain't been the same since you left. Little by little people been leaving the crew."
Huey widened his eyes, "Really?"
"Fo'sho. The majority went against Duey's order and fled. They wanted to start a new leaf. Some already started a family, some wanted to better themselves with a career. In a way, you started a revolution. Who woulda thought?"
He was beyond surprised and proud of them. He grew up with them, so in a sense they were his second family. They had always wanted to leave, but were too afraid to do so. "How did they manage to escape from Duey?"
"...Unfortunately some didn't make it."
Huey looked down. He really needed that cigarette now. "Hm, I see."
"But let's get down to business. We both know why you called me here for. Woodcrest been a heat zone for a hot minute. So I can't stay here for too long."
They don't have much time to chit-chat. At most, they have 30 minutes. "So Riley and I had been attacked by his goons. Even some of our...associates have gotten involved into this mess."
"Yeah I heard about that. He is trying to get you back in the gang. For some odd reason, he feels that you have a strong relationship with one of them. So he's using that as leverage. He's planning an attack in 2 weeks."
"But he said 3 weeks."
"Nigga why you surprised? He always lies. His punk-ass always attacks when you least expect him."
Huey furrowed his eyebrows, "Of course."
"So according to my associates, he was planning to send a spy to do the job. It hasn't been identified who that nigga would be, but it was apparently someone you were close with. So be on the lookout if you getting any visits from your 'friends'."
Huey snorted. So the man was on some sneaky shity eh? All that talk and he wasn't man enough to do the job himself? Pathetic. "Is that all the info you got for us?"
Caesar nodded. "For now, yes. It seems little but me telling you this shit can get me killed. I even had to steal a phone from a bystander just to contact you."
Huey sighed, "Yeah sorry for dragging you this into this shit. You're the only one I trust enough to do this."
"I got' chu. Always had, always will."
"But before we go on our separate ways, we gotta catch up. Tell me, what you been up to?"
Caesar chuckled, scratching through his long dreads that were tied up in a lazy ponytail. This reaction peaked Huey's interest. In all his years, he had never seen this man be this shy before, unless if… "Well, I was talking to a girl. Not gonna disclose her identity for her safety. But you know, we been kickin it for a while as friends."
One of Huey's eyebrows quirked up, "This outta be interesting."
"And I'm feeling something for her, not gonna lie. She cute, but we'll see where this friendship takes us to. It's actually why I'm here. I'm planning to stay here for a while to surprise her."
"Has this been long-distance the whole time y'all talked?" Huey asked before proceeding to drink his beverage.
"Yeah, and honestly it's for the best with how our situation is. But lately she been going ghost on a nigga. We usually talk everyday and suddenly she started responding less until she stopped texting altogether."
Huey hissed, "Want some water for that burn?"
Caesar chuckled, "Nigga please. I know her well enough that she'd be too nice to just ignore me like that. I feel she's going through something at the moment."
"Wow, the fact that you were able to hold a conversation with someone for that long surprises me. You sucked ass when it came to texting back. She must be special."
A rare genuine smile rose up, "She is man. You'll like her when you guys meet one day."
"I dunno man, you know I literally don't like anyone. Your efforts are futile."
Caesar looked to the side with a Cheshire cat grin, "That ain't what they told me."
Huey just had a feeling where this conversation was going.
"Oh lord, don't tell me it's about-"
"So who this lady friend of yours that looks like a younger version of Mariah Carey?"
And he spoke too soon. Huey couldn't help but bang his head against the table.
Caesar was dying of laughter, enjoying every second of this moment. "What? It ain't everyday that Huey Freeman helps out a damsel in distress."
And so the head-banging continued.
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Jazmine let out a sigh of relief, wiping the beads of sweat from her forehead. That final was hard, but she did the best she could. She was grateful for being able to study last minute, had it not been for that, she'd be screwed. She had just stepped out of class, now casually walking down the hallway.
From the corner of her eye, she spotted Cindy heading towards the girl's bathroom which situated right from across the hallway. They both exchanged stares, for a brief moment before the lad walked through the door.
The whole time during the examination, she felt her best friend's piercing stare. It was painfully obvious. It was hard for Jazmine to not scream at her to leave her alone.
She knew Cindy was only like this out of concern. But she just needed space. From her. From everyone else. From all this drama. She was just trying to process everything that took place.
Times like this, she wished her Mom was here with her.
She fought herself from tearing up. Her Mom didn't deserve this treatment. She had been nothing but innocent in all of this. She made sure to keep the family unit going, up until she got admitted to the hospital. She was the most selfless woman in the world. Her first priority was always family before her wellbeing.
Her Dad didn't deserve such a loving woman. She must've known of his affair, she couldn't have been that oblivious. She was quick and smart. She must've took note of his feminine scent, or of how late he'd always come home from work.
She probably knew all of this and yet decided to remain with him for my sake.
The failing marriage had spiritually killed her, and yet here she was always remaining at home with a smile.
One tear started to fall after a following sniffle. She had desperately tried to not think of her Mom for the past few days, but her heart ached for her. This was why she was avoiding Cindy.
In order to stop thinking about her.
She reached for her phone and dialed a phone number. After 3 beeps, the person finally picked up. "Hello, this is Wuncler General Hospital, how can I help you?"
"Hello, can you please refer me to Dr. Zeiner? It is about Sara DuBois who is under his care. This is her daughter, Jazmine DuBois."
Shuffles of paper could be heard from the other line - it was as though the receptionist was looking for something. Suddenly, the noise abruptly stopped. The line grew quiet. "Sara DuBois? Euh - ma'm, she is no longer our patient…"
Jazmine froze in a paralysed state of fear. "H-how so?"
"I-I'm sorry Ms. Dubois, I really am. But I can't say. This is the type of information that your physician would have to discuss to you face-to-face. It is not in my scope of practice to disclose such thing."
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was beginning to hurt breathing, considering how her heart began to grow heavy. She knew where this was going, her gut wouldn't cease to bombard her with warnings. Call her dumb, but she fought against the uneasiness.
She wanted to remain hopeful, at least until the very end. "Alright. I will be dropping by."
"Good. Visiting hours are from 7AM to 11Pm. You are welcome to drop by within those hours, and call for your physician once you've reached the reception."
"Thank you," she hung up, solemnly glaring towards the bathroom door - where Cindy had entered through.
Her support would have been needed in situations such as this - but Jazmine wasn't sure if she was ready to confide in her. Her own hesitance made herself feel uneasy, she recognized her decreasing reliance upon her. She redialed a number she never thought she'd call.
"H-Huey, can you do me a favor?"
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Flashback - 10 hours ago…
"...But I have a question."
Curious, he leaned against the doorway and folded his arms. "Yes?"
"The first time that you've gone through a traumatic event...what did you do to keep your calm?"
There was a moment of silence, as Huey seemed to be conflicted on what to say, before she felt him coming to her way. She proceeded to mentally kick herself, regretting asking such thing.
"Look, I'm sorry Huey. You don't have to an-"
"My first rough patch got me into smoking," he sat down, joining her at the edge of the bed. "4 years went by, and here I am now, not even able to stop smoking for at least a day."
Jazmine was in utter shock, and she tried so hard to keep her mouth from hanging. It was so unexpected of him to open up to her. "O-oh."
"You have to understand that we are all humans. No reaction is going to be perfect. In fact, you're reacting to this situation better than anyone I know. If you need to let all of your emotions out, do it now. Cry, smoke, do something if you need to. But remember that the moment you let it get to your head, you lost yourself."
"...Huey, have you ever lost yourself?" she hesitantly quipped, preparing herself for the possible digression. It was the first time that he's ever spoken in a somewhat empathetic tone.
Jazmine observed as he was internally fighting whether he should proceed opening up to her or not. "...Honestly, no. I think it's just because I've adapted myself through many disappointments. That's life, really."
She closed her eyes, lowering her head into her hands. "I'm afraid of that. In just a day, I went through a few major disappointments. Imagine a week from now? I don't know if I can handle this. Will I even be alive then?"
"Like I said, the minute you lose yourself, you might as well die." he repeated, his stare focused on the window.
She wanted to laugh, but kept it to herself. "Too late for that. But thanks for the pep-talk."
End of flashback...
"Thank you for accompanying me to the hospital. You didn't have to."
There was something off about Mariah Carey. Her vibe was eerily dark - something he'd never expect to see. She wore an oversized black hoodie with a pair of black joggers, black socks and black Nike slippers. Her curls were pulled back into a sloppy, low puff. That was already a red flag. He spent enough time living with the girl to know she never lacked with her hair care.
The two were sitting in his car - something they'd been doing for the past 7 hours. He was only supposed to drop her off to the hospital after receiving a call from her. But the minute they've reached their destination, she refused to step out of the vehicle. With both knees brought up to her chest, she'd daze to the Wuncler General Hospital, conflicted as ever.
Again, something she'd been doing for 7 hours straight.
She was getting paler by the second. Huey put a hand on her forehead, feeling for her temperature. "Are you okay?"
Her face grew slightly red by the contact, but she was quick enough to slap his hand away. Shyly, she turned away - probably to hide the blush from him. She was not slick at all, however it was relieving to catch that kind of reaction from her. Despite everything,she was still being herself. "I-I'm good."
"Be honest, you want to find out about your Mom's state."
He was met by silence. He respected that - a given opportunity for him to smoke. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes along with his lighter. He felt her curious eyes just watching his every movement. "Tell me, are you ready for what you are about to face?"
From the corner of his eye, he caught Jazmine looking down, struggling to keep herself from crying. "I don't know anymore Huey. My gut is telling me that she's going to die."
He was not one to be optimistic - hope was irrational after all. But he couldn't help but ask. "What makes you say that?"
"My intuition is never wrong. Never," her voice cracked. "I don't know what to do anymore. I don't think I can live without my Mom. My Dad, at this point, doesn't care about me. For the past week that we've been living with you, he hasn't even called to check on me. He hasn't even thrown a search party. Nothing. He is probably busy sleeping with other women rather than worrying about his dying wife!"
Huey smoked away. "Maria-"
"The bastard knew all along that she was sick. That's why he's been trying so hard to keep me from finding out the truth. It explains why he was speechless when I confronted him." She just kept getting everything off her chest, hyperventilating. "At this point, I don't know what to do. It hurts. It hurts to even breathe properly. I need something to help me. I feel like I can't breathe. I think I'm losing my mind."
Huey narrowed his eyes as he watched her scrambling through his compartment. "Wowow, what are you doing Mariah? You need to calm down."
Teary-eyed, she snapped. "I need something, anything to soothe away the pain. "
She made various erratic movements as she searched for anything that could be of use to her. Huey instinctively winced as he felt such sorrow. It was like staring at his own reflection of the past, when he first lost his parents.
"Calm down."
Given her initial reaction, she felt disinclined to believe what was transpiring, but the longer she stayed in his car with the view of the hospital, it became harder for her to argue that she was dreaming. Reality hit her hard.
She sniffled. "Give me that cigarette."
Reflexively, he glanced to her. "No."
Not even a second, and she desperately swiped the cigarette from his mouth and put it in hers - then she spat that out of the window. An onslaught of vertigo seized her and she thought she was going to faint. Her lungs felt like they were on fire. "W-what is so good about this t-thing?! It's horrible!"
If he could, he would laugh. This kid was too much for her own good. "I told you to not do it."
"This tastes like cancer!"
Huey sighed then grabbed her by the shoulder. "Look, you need to face this once and for all. If you need to cry, then cry. But you can't keep running away."
Deep down, she already knew what was to come. "Fine, but please come with me."
He didn't register how close their faces were from each other. With the aid of the moonlight, her pupils were glowing even more than their usual lusters. They pierced right through his, more likely searching for any sort of empathy. Her face convulsed, and tears welled in her eyes. Often times he'd curse himself for staring too long in her eyes. It bothered him. He never knew this kind of innocence existed, something that has always drawn him to her. She was definitely a rare kind - he was unsure whether to consider the fact as good or bad.
Letting go of her shoulder, he unbuckled his seatbelt and jumped out of his convertible, already making his way to the hospital. "Let's go."
Jazmine followed suit and eventually caught up to him. The duo have entered the establishment. Despite the events of 3 days ago, the place was still as busy as ever. She watched as nurses and doctors did their rounds and tended to their patients. She wished she had the same ability as the hospital staff, to just spring back to her routine like nothing happened.
The hair of her neck perked up and a shiver crawled on her spine. She drew in her breath anxiously, slowly maneuvering towards the reception area. Flashes of images - from her argument with her father to the kidnapping - bombarded her, forcing her to stop and breathe deeply. As quickly as it had come, the anxiety attack had vanished and she was left mentally exhausted with the impression that they've reached hell.
Huey patted her on the shoulder, "Stay strong."
She nodded a thank you and resumed to her steps, until she finally reached the receptionist. "Hi, I am Jazmine DuBois. May we speak to Dr. Zeiner please? It is regarding Sara DuBois, my mother."
The receptionist immediately called for Dr. Zeiner. Not even a minute, and the physician has already shown up. As she guessed, it was the same physician whom had talked to her father regarding her mother's illness. Jazmine took yet another breath. Here goes nothing.
"Hello, you must be Ms. DuBois." He reached his hand out, expecting a handshake.
Out of politeness, she shook his hand. "Yes, I didn't have the chance to be notified of my mother's state. How is she doing Dr. Zeiner?"
Complete silence. He had to push his glasses to the bridge of his nose, as he read through his chart. "Did your father not tell you?"
"T-tell me what?" Jazmine failed to blink away the tears, it took her to hide her face with her hands to keep them at bay.
"Your mother has passed away 24 hours ago. It was due to pneumonia, a complication associated with her HIV infection."
No amount of reassuring or comfort could bring her back to her sense. She gave up, she just couldn't do this anymore. Life wanted to break her by taking someone precious from her, and it succeeded. She raised her face from her hands, and found that she was cold, and stiff. Her brain was numb, she couldn't do her best to confront the situation before her.
Seeing as at that moment, everything had went dark.
Author's Note: So, what will happen from here for Jazmine? Comment/review what you guys think of this situation. Shout-outs are below.
Shout-outs
SammiSweetheart: Sis, glad that you enjoy the story. I would like to say thanks again for checking up on me. I probably wouldn't have updated for a long-ass time lol. I'm a little rusty with writing since it's been a while, but I should be back to normal soon.
Guest 1 & 2: Yes, here is an update :) I'm so sorry for keeping y'all waiting :(
Cai-the-potato: May I just say that I love your nickname :D!
Kween Jazmine 4L: I know I'm so sorry :,( I'm like the worst person to update on time. I'm literally late for everything (facepalms). It's a habit that I need to break smh. Hopefully, this chapter is enough for you :)
Guest 3: Oh you're a real Huey&Jaz fan eh? Well you might lowkey enjoy this chapter then (wink, wink).
SpicyWifey: Yesss they fought xD! Will their fight remain a little fight or something deeper, that is the real question ;)
Violet167: Haha I dunno, to me the chapter was slow. But this one might kick it up a notch.
Guest 4: I'm glad. I will never give up on this story, so don't worry. I'm too stubborn to let it go aha. It's my baby.
KateyBee42: Yooo nursing school is a pain in the ass! I graduated like 6 months ago, but I had to do my preceptorship (basically my last clinical practicum) and it was horrible. But thank God I survived through THAT battle. Let's just say some people aren't meant to be instructors smh. And as for the story, yes poor baby Jazmine is in pain now, but unfortunately she needs to go through this to grow. And it seems that she's already started her growth. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter :)
As for me, I am currently working on chapter 12 of OA. And I will go back to this chapter later to check for any typos. I will not let you guys down! So you should be expecting another update soon. Thank you so much for the support. Mwah xox.