A Heart After All

Protection

"I'm so over him," Jada swiftly snatched the ball and shot a 2-pointer.

"Damn, Jay you good at this," Cindy was hunched over trying to catch her breath.

"Yea. Riley and I used to play all the time since Huey never played."

"You play any other sports?"

"If you count kick ball as a sport," Jada says, sitting down.

"Yea. We played that here too. But we got a professional team though."

"What's up, fam?" Riley greeted with a wide smile.

"Reezy!" Cindy went and hugged Riley which he didn't push off.

"Hey Riley," Jada greeted going over to her brother.

"What ya'll doin?" Riley asked, with Cindy under his arm.

"Just got done playin a small game of ball," Cindy answers. As Jada watched the two talk, she noticed something about them. They seemed... Closer. Riley was like the Joker to Cindy's Harley Quinn. The batman to her Robin (You get the point). Jada made her way away from the two and found Huey walking home from somewhere.

"Hey Hue," Jada greets.

"Hey."

"Everything okay wit Jazzy?"

"Yea. She thought she was ugly," Huey said as Jada followed him into their house.

"Really? What a boy can make you feel," Jada sighs with an eye roll. "Hiro tried talking to me."

"You know my offer is still-"

"I don't want you to kick his teeth in, Huey. I'll deal with it myself. I'll give you the thumbs up when I need you."

"Okay, Jada. You know where to find me."

Monday seemed like a weird day for the Freemans. Huey had to keep an extra eye out for Jazmine who was being approached by a lot of guys, Riley had to watch out for Cindy for reasons he chooses not to explain, and Caesar decided to watch out for Jada just to keep her sane.

"You don't have to be my body guard, Ceez," Jada tries to tell him. "I'm perfectly fine."

"Until you snap," Caesar reminds her. "Plus, it's just for a while. Until Hiro finally leaves you alone."

Jada rolled her eyes with a chuckle and started opening her locker. A note came out and fell to the ground. She picked it up and read it over.

I know you don't wanna talk but I wanna make things up to you

~Hiro

Jada gave an annoyed sigh and ripped it up.

"What was that?" Caesar asks.

"A note from little Romeo. Is he like this when he's rejected?"

"Not really."

Jada rolled her eyes again and grabbed her things. Once Caesar walked her to class, he was stopped by his old friend.

"So you tryin to get with my girl now?" Hiro questioned.

"Your girl? I'm sorry but when was she your girl?"

"Since the first day I saw her. You know I got feelins for her, Ceez, so don't try and steal her from me."

"Even if I was, Jada wants nothing to do with you."

"So you are trying to steal her from me?"

"You know what? I am now. Try and stop me now," Caesar pushed his way passed Hiro and went to class. If Hiro wanted a war, then Caesar was gonna give him one.

Cindy and Riley were in the gym playing basketball when a guy walked up with a girl by his side. The boy was Austin Jackson and the girl was his cousin Lauren.

"Hi Riley," Laura said with a flirtatious tone. Cindy looked over and growled.

"Can I help you?" He questions.

"No. I just wanted to watch you play up close."

Riley rolled his eyes and got ready to shoot the basket.

"Lookin good in those joggers, McPhearson," Austin let out a low whistle.

"Go away, Austin."

"Come on, Cin. You were dying to talk to me a couple months ago," Austin made the daring choice to grab Cindy by the waist.

"Aye, get off my homie," Riley warned.

"And what you gonna do?" Austin tried. Riley chucked the ball at his head and clenched his teeth. Lauren's mouth dropped and she smacked Riley across the face.

"Bitch, don't touch my man!" Cindy grabbed Lauren and surprisingly beat her badly. Both Riley and Cindy were sent to the principal's office where they were suspended.

As they were getting their things, Riley chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Cindy asked.

"You called me your man," Riley said and Cindy blushed. It must have slipped when she got heated.

Cindy's mom wasn't at home so Robert picked her up too.

"Now what ya'll fighting for?" He questioned on their way home.

"Some girl smacked Reezy," Cindy said. "And a boy was feelin on me so we handled it."

"Yea, Granddad. We was just defending ourselves," Riley adds.

"Well now ya'll both suspended for a week. I'll call your mom and see if she wants me to bring you home. Riley, you ain't grounded for fighting back but next time you gettin yo ass whooped for gettin' suspended, you hear?"

"Yes, granddad," Riley groaned.

Huey was at lunch with Jazmine when Evan walked to their table.

"Can we talk, Jazmine?" He asked nervously. He shot a glance at Huey. "Alone?"

"Whatever you have to say to Jazmine, you can say to me," Huey said. Evan sighed,

"I'm really sorry for hurting you at the party. Hopefully we can still talk?"

Jazmine looked over at Huey for an answer.

"No."

"No?"

"I don't recall stuttering," Huey says. "You hurt Jazmine once and I damn sure ain't letting you do it again."

"But-"

"Don't make me get up, Evan."

The boy looked at Jazmine for help but she looked away. He left the two alone and went somewhere else.

"Thanks Huey," Jazmine says with a smile.

"Sure," Huey replied.

1/14/20