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Jazmine silently closed the door behind her, holding a pudding cup she brought from the hospital’s cafeteria. Sarah gave her daughter a reassuring smile and stretched her arm as a sign that it was okay for her to get closer. Jazmine was nervous, scared of getting too close to her father, and somehow hurt him even more.
She never liked hospitals, the smell of the antiseptics and the sense of uncertainty caused her stomach to twist. Knowing her father was here made her even more nauseated.
After Wuncler’s stupid and idiotic kickball match with the Chinese, the whole Woodcrest team was hospitalized immediately. They had won, thanks to Huey, but everyone was in critical condition. Her mother had hurried her away from the gruesome scene and taken her straight home. Jazmine cried her eyes out that night, worried sick for her father.
The doctor told them Tom was lucky, his recovery would be a lot sooner than they had thought.
Jazmine walked to the bed carefully and shakily, terrified of making a bad move. Her dad was in a full-body cast with bandages around his head and tubes attached to his skin; the mere sight made her eyes brim with tears again.
“He’s going to be fine, sweetie,” Sarah said in a soothing voice when Jazmine started to tremble, brushing her curls gently between her fingers, “He’s just resting. The nurses say your daddy is a strong man and he’ll be walking in no time.”
Jazmine nodded, still not convinced but fully trusting in her mother.
“Do you want me to pull out a chair for you too?”
Jazmine placed the pudding cup and plastic spoon on the nightstand. “No, thank you,” she answered with a sniffle, “I think I’ll wait outside if that’s okay.”
Sarah thought about it before smiling at her. “Just don’t leave the building, okay?” she said. “Give me one hour, we can go for ice cream after this”
It was an attempt to make Jazmine feel better, which it did as she agreed with a happier attitude. Sarah gave her a tight hug and held her husband’s hand. Jazmine noticed for a moment a glimpse of the fear and sorrow that Sarah was trying to hide, but decided to not say anything. Once Jazmine left the room she heard her mother’s quiet sobs. She dried her own tears with her arm and started to wander down the hall.
It was visiting hours, so the hospital wing was crowded with patients, family members, and friends. Jazmine didn’t feel like going back to the cafeteria or sitting on the cold metal benches, the mood was depressing as it is and she didn’t want to cry again, she was tired of crying.
She had already visited Riley and Mr. Freeman. Riley was sharing a room with a brash and foul-mouthed blonde girl. Jazmine recognized the girl from the basketball game her father coached a few months ago. Both of them were wearing a full-body cast also, their recovery even quicker than the others thanks to their young body and bones. Riley and the girl had barely noticed her presence, too busy bickering to care.
Jazmine thought it was weird. She could’ve sworn those two hated each other’s guts, yet the minute she stepped in it was obvious that it was nothing more than friendly teasing.
Mr. Freeman was by far the most impressive one. Despite the injuries that could be deadly for a man his advanced age, he had wasted no time in flirting with the pretty young nurses. ‘Cutie pies’ he called them. Jazmine had bolted out as fast as she could when a nurse with a deep cleavage came in with a sponge.
The only one she hadn’t visited yet was Huey.
He disliked hospitals as much as she did, but for other kinds of reasons. Huey hated being pitied and he hated, even more, being touched by people he didn’t know. Jazmine could only imagine the seething frown he must have on his face each time a doctor or nurse comes into his room to change bandages or run another test.
Maybe that’s why she was so hesitant. She wanted him to consider her visit as one of a worried friend and not as someone there to sympathize with him.
Another reason was that she was still stunned. Jazmine had heard rumors about Huey as a kickball player, the most infamous one being the time he allegedly gave a girl a permanent severe limp. She didn’t know how much of that was true, the Woodcrest locals were usually a bunch of liars, but what she did know is that he excelled in nearly everything. He was highly skilled in martial arts, there was no way he would be anything but remarkable.
Even when the rival team was quite literally crushing his team, Huey was unnervingly good at the game. She began to wonder if he actually did give a limp to that girl. It wasn’t until some players from the Chinese team snickered at something behind him that Jazmine realized how much he was holding back. The rumors did not fulfill the truth about his full potential. Not only was Huey gaining points for the team insanely fast, but he was hurting the other players, the same way they did it to his team. Sometimes she couldn’t even see the ball, all she could perceive was a red blur.
From the place where she was sitting, she could see and hear every bone snap, punch, blow, cry and gasp for air. It was garishly brutal for a simple game of kickball. The crowd was screaming and cheering, absolutely losing their minds from the excitement.
Jazmine on the other hand was completely and utterly dumbfounded, unable to move in her seat. A ticklish flutter formed in her stomach as she watched in a dazed at Huey showing off his athletic abilities. He was furious, and she was absolutely hypnotized. Her mother had told something but Jazmine didn’t catch a single word, her head feeling lighter than ever.
The elevator opened its doors and Jazmine pressed the button for the 7th floor. She remembered Granddad telling her the room where Huey was staying. Apparently, he was supposed to share a room with Ed just like Riley and the blonde girl, but unlike them, he and Ed had broken into a terrible fight and had to be separated. Jazmine suspected that Huey provoked him on purpose to get out of sharing with him.
Jazmine finally reached room 717. A nurse was now leaving looking like she just came out of a wrestling match unvictorious. When the woman saw Jazmine walking to her she flatted her white uniform and brushed her short hair.
“Hello, dear.” she smiled kindly, probably wishing to get out of there as quickly as possible.
“Hello.” Jazmine politely replied back.
“Are you here to visit Mr. Freeman?” she inquired, still forcing an exhausted smile.
Jazmine suppressed a laugh. ‘Mister Freeman’ Oh, Huey must be loathing this. “Sure am.”
The nurse nodded and moved out of the way to let Jazmine in. Before she did, she turned her head back at the nurse. “How is he?”
Granted, Huey had been the least crippled one. The opponents didn’t even touch a single hair on his head, that was until the final blow against the Ming girl. Even as part of the crowd, she could feel that the last hit had been personal. Both of them ended with broken bones after Huey used a humanly impossible serve against her.
“He’s doing great, dear. He’s awake and aware,” the nurse answered cheerily and vacillated before adding, “Although Mr. Freeman is a bit difficult to treat. I just gave him a little sedative, so he might be a bit drowsy.”
“I understand.”
She listened to the heels clicking away and the nurse mumbling under her breath something between the lines of ‘smartass little shit’ and ‘his thug brother’. That seems about right, Huey was never above using violence against grown-ups.
His room was similar to her father’s; white, simple, and clean; except for the shattered glass on the floor. Huey was sitting upwards in the huge bed, his right arm was in a cast and a few scratches on his face, other than that he seemed perfectly fine. Well, aside from the fact that he was staring out the window in a longing way. How high was he?
Jazmine was suddenly very nervous. She managed to spit out a shy “Hi.” and shrank back when Huey met her eye.
He was frowning, as usual, maybe even more pissed off than usual. He only answered with a short “Hey.”
The quiet felt inviting enough for her to approach him. The second she was standing next to his bed Huey grabbed her wrist with his good arm and pulled her close. He spoke in whispers as if someone was to eavesdrop on them. Jazmine squealed in shock, it was so fast she barely had time to breathe.
“Jazmine, you gotta get me out of here.”
She blinked even more confused, “What?”
“People here are trippin’ man, they refusing to let me go,” he said angrily, tightening his grip, “And I’m sure that big bitch spiked my water”
Jazmine’s jaw almost hit the floor. The nurse must’ve given him one hell of a drug. If he talked a bit more high pitched, he would sound exactly like Riley. This made her recall that one time he had spent nine days straight watching BET.
“I… can’t get you out, Huey,” she said gently.
“Tell ‘em you’re my mother or something, threaten the whole staff for all I care”
Jazmine couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her lips.
“I’m ten. I can’t pose as your mother.”
Huey rolled his eyes, “Then threaten them.”
She shook her head, giving him an apologetic smile.
That was that. Huey released her wrist, now more irritated than angry.
“Do you want a pudding from the cafeteria?” she offered, trying to change his bad mood, “They’re not so bad”
“No, I don’t want a pudding from the cafeteria!” he snapped at her, “What I want is to get the hell out of here. These fools want to keep me here for two more weeks. It’s just a broken arm.”
“You fainted, Huey.” and that was to say the least, who knows how much damage did his body take from the adrenaline. “Also, Mr. Freeman and Riley are going to be here for a long time, you would be alone in the house.”
“They’d be doin’ me a favor” he scowled, staring at the white sheet that covered up to his waist, “This is bullshit. I didn’t even want to play, to begin with.”
In an unexpected spur of confidence, Jazmine took the liberty to sit at the edge of the bed, he didn’t seem to mind. This wasn’t like the tree hill where they normally hang out but the place didn’t matter, as long as they were the only two there.
“But, you guys won.”
“Nobody won. We were all doin’ the white man’s bidding” he argued, his lips twisting to a sneer
Now he sounded more like Huey.
“So why did you play?” she ventured, pushing her luck on the sedative.
He didn’t say anything for a long time and she was about to change the subject when he spoke again, “At first it was to get her off my back. She wasn’t going to let it go if I didn’t accept the stupid challenge” he said, referring to Ming “But then it turned to pride. That little girl tried to make a fool out of me. And I don’t like being laughed at.”
So that’s what got him so mad at the end.
“What about when Riley or Mr. Freeman make fun of you?” she had to feed her curiosity, and by the looks of it, he would answer just about anything she asked for. That is until the drug wears out.
Jazmine didn’t mention herself in the list, although she remembered the day he came back from Chicago with a broken nose. She had teased him about it, but he didn’t get mad at her, in fact, he looked almost embarrassed.
Huey quirked an eyebrow. “Let me rephrase. I don’t like it when strangers do it.” he said, “I only tolerate it from three people. Riley and Granddad are family, I don’t care if they make fun of me.”
“And the other?” a flicker of hope shined through her features.
“You,” he said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
To say Jazmine was happy was an understatement, she was absolutely delighted. Her lips formed a face-splitting grin and if her eyes were capable of sparkling she was sure they would. Ever since they had met, Jazmine was always waiting and hoping for some kind of affirmation that he considered her a friend and not just his annoying neighbor. Being the only outsider standing next to family that could be so close for him to tolerate something that he wouldn’t from others had given her all the assurance she needed.
“This doesn’t imply an open invitation to make fun of me, Jazmine,” Huey warned, narrowing his eyes warily at her silence.
“I know I know I know.” she reiterated lightning-fast, afraid he would take back his statement. She scooted closer “Can I tell you something?”
Her childish giddiness and excitement were impossible to restrain, she was feeling like herself again.
“I’m not stopping you,” he answered.
“I’m really sorry you got hurt.” she said to not make her next words sound callous “But, you were so cool out there!”
‘Cool’ didn’t quite fit the sentiment however it was the first thing that came to mind. Huey eyed her in confusion.
“Huh?”
“You were amazing! I mean, I know you were good at kickball but that was so impressive. I didn’t know you knew Chinese! And then–” she rambled on like a sports fan meeting their idol and explaining how much they changed their life. Huey was listening most attentively, “Huey Freeman, you are the coolest person I know.”
His eyebrows raised in brief surprise, “Thanks” he said barely audible for her ears, and then looked away. For a second Jazmine thought she had seen a slight tug on the corner of his lips, a smile, but it quickly went back to a tight line. “I would’ve thought you’d be more upset about me beating up the other team.”
Well, that wasn't completely wrong. Jazmine never wished anyone any malice, not even the people who truly deserved it. She didn't seem to have a bad bone in her entire body and she had kept her empathy for the Chinese team at the beginning of the tournament. It wasn't until they started to beat up her father that all compassion flew out the window. Although she strongly believed that violence was not and will never be the answer for anything, she couldn't deny the burning satisfaction she experienced when Huey started to take the game seriously.
“They started it. Served them right,” she reasoned, more to herself than to Huey. Jazmine wanted to believe that she was a caring person and that she just got caught up in the moment, “Now I can see why you didn’t invite me to join your team. You needed good players to defeat the Chinese.”
Though it wasn’t her intention, the bitterness was obvious. Jazmine had expected to be the first one Huey would ask to join his team —Jazmine was almost always Huey’s first choice for his schemes— and she was visibly hurt when he had simply brushed over her. If Huey had noticed her disappointment or not she might never know.
Jazmine could understand to a certain degree why she was left out. She wasn't exactly the most athletic or brawny person in the world, she was hardly a decent basketball player, but when she realized he had picked Granddad and Mrs. Von Housen over her, she felt it was personal. Surely, surely , she couldn't be so bad that seniors were a better choice than her.
“You think I chose those guys because I thought they were good ?” Huey scoffed. The sardonic tone in his voice made her instantly taken back, suddenly not so sure.
“Well,” she stammered, her cheeks flaming from the embarrassment. She racked her brain in a futile attempt to search for another explanation, “Yeah.”
“Jazmine, I had an old man and two eight-year-olds on my team” he stated the absurdity “I had to pick them because I needed the players, I was forced to. It had nothing to do whether I thought they were good or not”
His deep burgundy eyes were refusing to let her turn away. Jazmine frowned in puzzlement.
“I already knew from the start that the competition was gonna get messy,” he went on “I didn't ask you to join because I didn't want you to end up like we are right now, like Riley and Cinthya are. I didn’t want to use you as a pawn for Wuncler’s little game”
The weird, fluttery feeling in her stomach and fingertips came back to her. Her previous resentment for being left out now felt foolish. Jazmine should've known better, Huey was always helping her out even if he acted aloof and disdainful. People would disagree with her, but she thought of Huey as the most selfless person she has ever met. It was truly a shame when Mr. Freeman and Riley didn't take him seriously.
“Besides,” he added before she could think of it more “You would’ve cried so much I would never hear the end of it.” The foreign flutter dissolved into laughter.
The last part was unnecessarily mean, but it was just so... Huey . A wave of fondness washed over her and if she hadn't been crying for the last two days, she was certain she would be on the brink of tears from laughing so hard. Huey observed her with a strange look of satisfaction.
When the giggles melted away, her attention shifted to his cast.
“Does it hurt?” she questioned, pointing at his arm. The bandages started from his upper elbow to his palm, perfectly white and blank.
It was a dumb question, of course it hurts to get your arm broken. Hell, she cried like a baby the time she had sprained her ankle; but she didn't want to leave just yet, leaving meant facing her crying mother and paralyzed father. Jazmine was trying to cling for dear life to the comfort he was giving her.
“Uh, yeah,” he stated the obvious, the sedative not providing him enough energy to reprimand her for such a question.
“What does it feel like?”
It did, though, give him enough energy to roll his eyes, “Like I broke my bones.”
Jazmine had an idea. She jumped off the bed and started to rummage through the nightstand drawers for a marker. When she didn’t find anything there, she tried the desk next to the window. Huey watched her run from one place to another until she finally found a green sharpie in a wooden cabinet. Good, green was her favorite color. Jazmine skipped back to his bed and flopped on the edge, making him flinch when her arm brushed against his cast. She whispered a quick ‘Sorry’ and showed him the sharpie.
“Can I be the first to sign it?” she asked excitedly, taking out the cap and placing it on the end of the marker.
“What? Why?” he said suddenly defensive, carefully pulling his arm away from her.
“It’s the bright side of getting a cast. Friends and family can sign it and wish you a fast recovery,” she said, very much surprised that she had to explain the concept to him.
“Never heard of that.”
She lowered the marker, “Really? Not even back in Chicago?”
“Jazmine, where I come from you’d be lucky to get to a hospital at all,” he said as a matter of fact, “Much less have people draw corny crap on your bandages.”
“Come on Huey, It might cheer you up,” she said playfully “I promise it will be a small scribble.”
Huey reconsidered it for a solid minute. The cast was going to get removed eventually so why not grant her the amusement. “Fine.”
She straightened up, bubbling with happiness, “I’ll be gentle. Give me your arm” she commanded.
Huey obeyed; he leaned closer to Jazmine, furrowing his eyebrows still very skeptical about it. Jazmine stuck her tongue out in concentration, trying to write as nicely and legibly as possible, keeping her promise of doing it small. She could feel him staring and it was making her more nervous and flustered than she already was.
The marker’s tip was thick and full of ink so the pressure she had to put was very minimal and though the surface was anything but smooth Jazmine had managed to write a single word, hoping that when Huey looked at it he would think fondly of it.
“I used my best handwriting,” she said proudly, popping the cap back on “Pretty, right?”
With the loopiest and most girly handwriting Huey has ever seen, the name ‘jazminɘ’ -e backward- and a little heart on the ‘i’ was plastered on the middle of his arm. It was a certified easy pass for Riley and Granddad to ridicule him later on.
“I guess.” he shrugged not in the slightest bit interested in it. The dry answer made her pout annoyingly endearing that he couldn’t stand it, “It’s pretty, Jazmine” he rephrased reluctantly.
‘That was easy’ she thought, genuinely amazed at the hesitation and now interested in this newfound power of hers. Best not to push it.
Jazmine went on to tell him of all the things he has missed while being absent from school. Huey would occasionally hum and grunt in acknowledgment to prove he was listening. Although he was trying to be subtle about it, Jazmine could see each time his eyes would linger on the name written on the cast and began to wonder what he was really thinking about it.
Her never-ending chatter was cut short when the door opened.
Huey’s body tensed as the nurse walked in. Jazmine immediately stood up, blushing as if the woman had caught her doing something she wasn't supposed to. The space of the room felt suddenly very cold and awkward, both Huey and the plump nurse glaring at each other. He had not forgotten about the sedative at all and was even more pissed off by the interruption.
“Miss DuBois, your mother is looking for you,” she said, breaking the godawful silence that was crushing Jazmine.
She was dying to know why Huey hated the nurse so much, but she could wait until he was discharged to ask.
Jazmine answered respectfully, “Thank you.”
The nurse shot another dirty look at Huey before exiting the room, clearly not pleased about the next weeks with him. Huey waited for the nurse to be out of earshot before asking. “You’re coming tomorrow?”
“Yes, of course,” she said too fast for her liking. Her mother would want to come every day. “I’ll bring you the homework. Do you want anything else? A book? Snacks?”
“Sure,” he shrugged, then the weirdest thing happened. His face turned soft, his muscles relaxed and he looked at her almost pleading as he whispered “Just… come back okay?”
Another flutter in her stomach, this one stronger and more present than the others. It was oddly pleasant, maybe she should speak to a doctor after this. Jazmine convinced herself, for her own sake, that it was just the pill speaking and not him.
“Okay,” she agreed, her whole body tingling with nervousness. Jazmine peeked at the door where the nurse was probably standing behind it and turned back to Huey, “Don’t throw a chair at her. Remember, she has all the drugs.” she teased, not bothering to say ‘be nice to her’ since that would be pointless anyway.
“I’ll try,” he said, not promising her anything he couldn't comply with. That was better than anything though.
She started to walk away. “Goodbye, Huey.” she waited for no answer, not expecting a goodbye in return, but she heard a vague voice behind her the second she left the room.
“Later, Jazmine”
As Jazmine had predicted it, the nurse was standing next to the door. Jazmine bid her a sincere ‘good luck’ and headed straight to her mother who was waiting for her in the lobby. She looked happier compared to earlier, so Jazmine could only hope for good news.
“So, how was Huey?” Sarah asked as she started the car. Jazmine buckled her seat belt in the backseat and spotted the window that was to Huey’s room, grinning as she imagined the chaos that the poor woman must be going through for even trying to touch his arm or the air around him.
“Same as always,” Jazmine replied, switching her thoughts to ice cream flavors instead. She considered for a moment telling her mother about her fast heartbeats or the tingly blush in her cheeks however she abandoned the idea by an inexplicable feeling of embarrassment.
–––––
After four days and four failed attempts to escape, the doctors finally allowed Huey to leave, not before telling him politely to never come back to the hospital again. It was a good thing the hospital didn't hold the grudge against the rest of the Freeman family, who were staying there for the next three months.
The residents of Woodcrest were constantly avoiding him in fear of ending up in the hospital as well. That admittedly had given Huey great pleasure, he disliked the ignorant people of Woodcrest as it was. Except for one person of course, whom he spent most of his time with.
Even though Jazmine was one hundred percent sure the sign she did on his cast was a one-time thing, that didn’t discourage her from asking him again if she could write something else. He accepted and did not comment on it. After that, she had bought her own green sharpie and she was asking every day for permission to add something else.
And every day Huey let her.
By the time the six weeks were due, there wasn’t a single spot without a heart, flower, cheesy drawing, smiley face or scribble. Jazmine thought it was funny, Huey always looked so serious and moody, but he never told her ‘no’ when she came to him with a marker in hand.
The doctor had asked Huey about the green marks all over the cast when he came back to get it removed.
He didn't answer.