"So all you have to do is put some chlorate in this and then you'll have fire." Aspen spoke as the desk went on fire then burning out as they gasped and wowed.

"It's lunch time bihh." Ky said coming in the classroom making her look at the door to see her and India.

"I guess it's my time to go." Aspen said to her class of juniors. "So don't do that at home and yeah."

"Thanks Aspen." Mr.Griger said making her nod and mumble a you welcome.

"Can you show one more thing before you do?" A girl called out making a few people agree.

"Okay." She chuckled thinking about what to do. "Ky and India sit down. Now I need all of y'all to lift your feet up, nobody feet can be touching the floor."

They did as said while she made sure everybody feet wasn't on the ground before she did the steps to create fire again. She transported the fire into a tube then looked around again to make sure no one feet was on the floor. She tipped the tube onto the floor making the fire spread all over the class as they all gasped and looked around in amazement.

"Oh shit!" Some boy yelled.

"That's fucking lit!" Ky yelled making a few people laugh as Aspen took off her goggles and lab coat hanging it up.

"See you guys next week." She told them as she grabbed her bag while they were still in amazement. 

"I still can't believe they let you teach a class." India said.

"They had to do something to keep me in school, I have no classes." She rolled her eyes.

Since she's identified as a genius, she took so many classes at once making her have no classes. She took every English, Math, Science course required, she could of graduated last year but she felt that everything was moving too fast. Plus, she wanted to graduate with her friends.

"My best friend's a genius!" Ky yelled making her laugh at the dramatic girl.

Kaiser has been her best friend since she was 5, she met her through Jamie and they clicked instantly. Kaiser is the loud, ghetto, ratchet wild one that everyone loves. She was literally the life of the party and can put anyone in the best mood just by exchanging a few words. She was just so outgoing and fun.

India also met Aspen when she was 5 years old considering India and Ky are sisters. India is the mean no filter one, she doesn't think before she says stuff which sometimes put her at the center of drama. She the type of person to take on a crowd by herself, she could handle her own and never needed backup dancers. People often laugh at her when she being mean taking it as a joke but she be dead serious.

Aspen met Malayah when she was skipped to the fourth grade, they didn't click at first but eventually got used to each other. Malayah was the bougie, too cute for anything one out the group. Since her father played for the Atlanta Falcons, she was incredibly spoiled and got anything she wanted. To people who didn't know her she was stuck up but in reality, she was real down to earth and cool.

Nayeli met Aspen in the sixth grade due to her moving from New Orleans to Atlanta, she knew her through Malayah since Nay and Lay are cousins. Nay is the clown out the group, she's always cracking jokes, takes everything as a joke and always blunt. She bumps heads with all of them, especially Kaiser because they share a personally.

Lastly was Cienna, Aspen met her her Freshmen year. CiCi was the hoe out of the group, she liked to be center of attention at all times, she doesn't care what anyone says but feigns for approval, she lowkey in competition with Aspen. Everyone senses the negative vibes but Aspen because she's so nice and naive, none of the girls like her but put up with her for Aspen sake.

"Oou, look at ya fine ass uncle." Ky mumbled.

"Hey principal Dawson." India and Ky said in unison making Aspen roll her eyes and cattle.

"Good afternoon, y'all keeping Aspen out of trouble right?" 

"Of course." Ky lied.

"Mhm, Aspen come to my office before you leave for the day."

"Okay." She nodded as he walked passed.

"Dawson like 60 and still fine as hell, if I ever want a sugar daddy, he better volunteer as tribute." Ky said lusting over him.

"You could have Dawson, I want her uncle Yayo or her grandfather JC. Man they the finest niggas I've ever seen." India closed her eyes shaking her head.

"First of all, that's nasty." Aspen said with disgust in her voice.

"What's nasty?" Malayah asked as they sat down at the table.

"We talking bout her fine ass family members." 

"Oh yes, her fine ass uncle Avery or Ralph. Lordt." Nay said smiling.

"I would say her uncle Josh fine but Remy gon beat my ass." Lay said making them laugh. "Let me have Zay sexy self."

"Fuck that, I'll have Zay and all his brothers. You ever seen them stand next to each other? I swear ta God!" Ky squeezed her fist together.

"Just give me every man in your family." Lay said.

"ALL ABOARDT!" Nay yelled making all of them bust out laughing.

"Y'all are a mess." Aspen shook her head texting her aunt Remy.

"So we not gon talk about Aspen and Jamie?" India asked making Aspen squint her eyes in confusion.

"They finally together?" Lay asked cheesing hard, she loved the idea of them together.

"No we aren't." She shook her head looking at India. "What you talking about?" 

"I'm just saying when I woke up Saturday morning, y'all was pretty cozy cuddled up and shit."

"Oop oop." Nay said sipping her green tea.

"Oh please, Jamie don't want me." She rolled her eyes.

"I wish y'all stop playing." Ky said. 

"Searsly, y'all both wanna be together but fighting it. I don't get it." Lay concluded.

Before Aspen could say anything back, somebody stood over her. She looked up as the light skin boy with glasses smiled down at her, he looked familiar but she didn't know him. They all looked at her then at him smirking, she laughed looking back at the boy, they were so nosy.

"Aspen, right?" He asked making her slowly nod. "I walked passed as you were doing the fire in class, I just wanted to tell you it was mind blowing."

"Thank you, that means a lot." She smiled.

"I'm Ollie."

"Ollie's your real name?" 

"Nah but it's better than my real name though." 

"May I know it?" She asked as he sat down in the empty chair next to her.

"Don't laugh." He smirked. "Olympic." 

"I like it." She spoke making him raise a eyebrow, she loved unheard of names. Names that no one else would have, her name was one of them and that's why she loved it.

"You're the first."

"I have cousins with all types of unheard names, I have a thing for them."

"Yo, move." She heard the deep voice standing over her as everybody stopped their conversations to listen. She didn't even have to look up to know who it was.

"What?" Ollie asked furrowing his eyebrows looking up to Jamie.

"You in my seat so move, the fuck so hard to understand?"

"I don't got to-"

"Please just get up." Lay cut him off.

"It will be better for everybody if you do." India added while Jamie was just looking at him.

"Nice officially meeting you Aspen." He shook his head getting up as Jamie pushed the chair to the side getting another one to replace it.

"I'm sorry for him, I'll talk you later." Aspen smiled.

"No you won't." Jamie scoffed as he walked away. "He ain't gon wanna talk after I beat his ass."

"You're so unnecessarily rude for no reason, you could have just said excuse me."

"I'm not bout to ask someone to get up for my seat, type punk shit you on?" He laughed taking his Chick-Fil-A out the bag.

"He so mean yo." India laughed.

"Yeah whatever." She rolled her eyes taking some of his fries as he let her. "Where were you?"

He looked at her blankly then held the Chick-Fil-A bag up. "He tryna call you stupid best friend." Ky instigated making them laugh.

"She the smartest person I know but that was a dumb ass question."

"Hey y'all." CiCi smiled walking up as Aspen smiled, she was the only one who spoke. "Oh yeah, India thank you for jumping in Friday."

"Ain't no need to thank me, that was a booty bitch move." India waved her off.

"We ain't the best of friends so I didn't expect it so I do have to thank you."

"We ain't friends at all." India bluntly said catching everybody off guard as Nay spit up her drink while Aspen tucked her my lips shaking her head.

"But I'm the mean one?" Jamie threw his head back laughing.

"I'm not mean, I'm real."

"Real rude." Aspen glared at her.

"Girl." Nay laughed.

"Anyways." CiCi rolled her eyes. "Do you remember dude from the party you were dancing with?"

"Which one?" Aspen asked making Jamie raise his eyebrow.

"How many niggas you danced with?" He asked tilting his head.

"This one." CiCi showed Aspen the picture of a cute brown skin boy.

"Yeah, what about him?" Aspen asked ignoring Jamie.

"He commented on the picture of us and asked for me to put him on. He want-"

"Nah." Jamie cut her off making Ky yell laugh. "You could dead that before it even start."

"Damn, the boy can't even shoot his shot?" Nay asked laughing.

"He did, issa airball." He joked.

"Well, I already gave him her Instagram name so he's going to hit you up."

"Bro wasting his time." Jamie laughed.

"You talk to any girl you want but she can't? You're not her nigga." CiCi rolled her eyes.

"You don't know me and I ain't got to be her nigga, if I say don't talk to him then she not."

"So she your dog now? You her master? She not no yes man." 

"Bitch, mind yo business. I be tryna be nice to yo big headed ass cause she think you her friend but you messing up yo chances."

"I am her friend and you right, you don't gotta be nothing on her behalf." She got up grabbing her stuff. "Aspen, I'll see you before you leave."

"Why would you say that? You hurt her feelings." Aspen looked at him.

"I don't give a fuck, you know I don't fuck with her."

"She wasn't even talking to you, she was talking to me." She pointed to herself. "And she's not wrong, I'm not your pet for you to tell me what to do."

"I ever called you one? I know what you are to me. Let her get you hype if you want, yo li' feelings gon be hurt."

"What am I to you?" She asked making everybody look at him for an answer.

Before Jamie could say anything back his ex, Yazy, walked up standing between them. She looked down at him as he looked up at her while everybody else stared. "You left this at my house." 

Aspen put her head down and shook her head. "Thanks li' bit."

Kaiser looked at Aspen with her head down and got mad, no matter how much she loved her cousin, she wouldn't allow no nigga to have her best friend looking stupid. 

"First of all, you need to get ya nasty ass out of my best friend face bitch." She spoke.

"She didn't say anything so obviously it's not a problem."

"Probably because she choking off ya scent bitch." Nay jumped in.

"Why somebody always gotta talk for you? You got a mouth." Yazy looked at Aspen.

"We her mouth, ears and hands bitch." India looked her up and down.

"Y'all don't gotta keep calling her a bitch after y'all finish y'all sentences." Lay laughed taking a selfie.

"For real, y'all overstepping." Yazy said.

"Don't agree with me, I don't like you bitch." Lay looked at her making them laugh.

"She blows me!" Ky yelled laughing.

"I'll see you later Jam." She bent down to kiss him and he didn't move making Aspen eyes water.

"Niggas ain't shit." Nay said as she watched her walk away.

"I'm going to work on my formulas." Aspen said getting up and turning around just before tears could come down.

"You dead wrong." Ky spoke going to chase after her.

"What I do?" Jamie asked as they all waved him off ignoring his presence.

"Aspy!" Ky called out her name making Aspen stop in her tracks. She wiped her face then turned around putting on a fake smile.

"Yes best friend?" 

"Nice try, almost believable." Ky looked at her blankly. 

"I'll get over it like I always do, it's okay."

"It's okay because you let it be, stop accepting his shit baby girl. You're the most beautiful, smartest and richest person I know." She joked making Aspen crack a smile. "So don't let anyone make you feel less of that way." 

"Thank you." They hugged. "I think I actually needed that."

"I'll probably see you after school, if not I'll text you."

Aspen nodded going to the science lab where she can work on her formulas. Whenever she was feeling happy, she did science. When she was upset? Science got her feeling better. Sad? She'll make something and experiment. Science was her go to and right now she needed a gateway out her thoughts.

~

"Hi papa." Aspen spoke removing the old flowers from his grave putting the balloons and new daises in front of his tombstone. "Happy birthday, you having fun in Jamaica?" She asked clutching her rose gold hollow diamond necklace that Tac gave her while her eyes watered.

"I miss you papa, these days are the hardest without you and I just wish you were here. You told me I can handle it because I'm strong and you didn't raise any pussies and I can overcome anything and I want to but everything is so hard papa." She said as tears ran down her face as memories started coming to her. "I know you're here with me spiritually and sometimes I wished it was enough but I need you here with me. Physically."

She spent an hour and some minutes talking to Tac, she caught him up on the drama and even shared some memories. Once she was all talked out, she called a Lyft so she can go to her grandparents house. She entered the code to the front door unlocking it, she locked the door behind her hearing voices.

"Which dirty child is that?" She heard her grandfather ask.

"Your favorite one." She smiled as she saw him, Yayo, JJ and Mace. "Hey y'all."

"What you doing here princess?" JC asked after hugging his grand daughter.

"Just wanted to pop up, what y'all doing?" 

"Nothing, bouta watch football."

"It look like you been crying." Yayo pointed out wetting a paper towel and wiping her dried up tears.

"I went to see papa." She answered making them nod. "Where nana?" 

"Upstairs." JC sighed. "She ain't been out of bed all day."

"Can I go up there?" 

"Yeah, try to get her to come down and eat."

"She turned down food?" Aspen asked wide eyed, if anyone loved food it was Alyssa so for her to not eat is big.

"Yeah, ain't eat all day." JC shook his head.

"Order some hot wings, we'll be back down in a few minutes." Aspen said cockily. 

"I couldn't even get her to come out and I'm her best friend." Yayo raised a eyebrow.

"Just watch." She laughed.

Instead of walking up all those stairs, she got on the elevator going to the third floor. She walked in the room seeing her grandmother curled up watching old videos of her and Tac on the projector crying silently. Aspen took off her shoes crawling in the bed and cuddled with her.

"I went to visit him today." She spoke softly. 

"I miss him." Lys said silently. 

"We all do." She looked at the video of Tac dancing and chuckled. "We just have to think of the good times and all the time he made us happy."

Alyssa didn't reply but she heard her, she was thinking about the happy times she shared with her father. "I cried over a boy today."

"Why?" Alyssa asked looking up at her.

"He let another girl kiss him in front of me."

"You punched him in his face right?" 

"No nana." She laughed.

"You should have, that's disrespectful. Even if he didn't initiate the kiss, he should have told the girl about her self or something."

"That's how I feel." Aspen sighed. "I feel like I'm chasing a dead end and I should just give up but he's everything I want."

"How come?" 

"He's protective, sometimes a lil overprotective but it lets me know he cares. He's so handsome, I just love looking at him." She pictured his face making Alyssa smile for the first time today. "He keeps me balanced and I know I can depend on him. When everything's going wrong, he's there to make it right. I just love him so much."

"You sound like me describing Jayceon." Alyssa smiled wide. "What's a relationship without a few tears and problems?" 

"I should tell him how I feel?" 

"Girl, you better."

"How about a deal?" She asked. "I'll tell him how I feel if you come downstairs and eat your favorite food."

"Only because I wanna see you happy." Alyssa smiled making her smile. 

They both got in the elevator, JC looked back hearing the elevator ding and smiled. He walked over to his wife hugging her tightly and kissing all on her face making her laugh and push him away. She sat at the kitchen eating her hot wings and watching them all look at her like she was an experiment.

"I been yo best friend for almost forty damn years, you knew this little girl for fifteen damn years and she could get you to come eat?" Yayo asked making them laugh.

"I'm her first grandchild." She laughed as her phone dinged telling her the Lyft was outside. "My Lyft is outside, I love you guys." 

"One of us could of took you home." JC said.

"It's okay papa." She hugged them as they all told her they loved her. 

~

"Ma!" She yelled coming in the house as Memo sat on the couch cuddled with Josiah. "Oh, hey daddy."

"Where you was at?" Siah asked pausing the movie.

"I went to see papa then went to see grandma and grandpa." 

"Ma feeling better? Dad told me she wouldn't eat." Memo said.

"Alyssa wouldn't eat?" He raised his eyebrow.

"Y'all making it seem like she a dog or something." She laughed. "But yes, she started eating right before I left."

"Yo lil friends upstairs." Memo said making her raise a eyebrow.

"Who? Nobody told me they were coming over." 

"Aspen?" Harlem yelled coming in the living room.

"Why are you yelling? I'm right here." 

"Lemme ask a question, Malayah single?" He smirked.

"Boy." Memo said laughing as Siah smiled.

"This my fucking son." He proudly said as Memo rolled her eyes.

"Harlem if you don't get out of my face." Aspen stood up.

"If you won't put the word in then I'll talk to her myself."

"What you gon say?" Siah gassed him up laughing.

"Say babygirl, I'm not a photographer but I can picture us together." Harlem smiled making Aspen smile while Memo laughed.

"My boy!" Siah yelled grasping his hand.

"You be around your uncle Yayo too much." Memo shook her head.

"That was mad cute." Aspen smiled, if somebody said that to her, he getting her number that second. 

"You hungry?" Memo asked Aspen.

"Yeah." Siah and Harlem said.

"Y'all always hungry." Aspen scrunched her face up. "Yes, I am."

"I'll go cook." Memo stood up as Aspen walked up the stairs.

"I just wanna know how long y'all been here and why nobody told me?" Aspen asked looking at her friends laid all in her room.

"Well, India and I got here like a hour ago then Nay and Lay showed. CiCi came like five minutes ago." Ky answered.

"I gotta talk to my mom and dad about them letting just anybody in." Aspen mumbled making them laugh. "Why are y'all here?" 

"To talk shit about niggas and sing our hearts out the Monica and shit." Nay said.

"Well then." Aspen handed her iPad to India which was connected to the surround sound system. 

Just as she was laying down Jamie called, she ignored it making him call again and she let it ring out getting their attention. "You never ignore his calls." Kaiser said.

"I was talking to my grandma and she said the way he makes me feel is rare and I should give fight for it but I don't want to cry over him and it seems like that's all I do now."

"Then have a talk with him Aspen, I mean obviously he know you feeling him but he not a mind reader." India said.

"I don't think you should fight for it." CiCi shrugged. "He kissed a bitch in front of you knowing you wouldn't like it and he was just over her house. Don't be a dumb bitch for no nigga."

"Fighting for a relationship wouldn't make her a dumb bitch." Lay spoke up. "We can't really give her advice because she see something in him we don't, the feelings she have for him I've never had for anyone so I damn sure can't relate. I say get your mind and heart on the same page then listen to both."

"Smartest thing, I've ever heard you say." Ky joked making them laugh.

"Fuck you bitch." Lay stuck her middle finger up.

"You never had sex with him, right?" CiCi asked.

"There have been thoughts but we've never made it that far."

"Good, keep it as long as you can." 

"You got more than nine bodies so how you giving sex advice when ya kitty dead?" India asked making Ky yell as the rest of them laughed not expecting that.

"That's exactly why I'm saying it, I know how it feels to regret it. I wish I can take my pussy back from certain niggas and I'm hoping she never feels this way."

"Losing my virginity wasn't a big deal to me." Ky shrugged. "Like everyone makes it a big deal but it's not to me."

"Me either." Nay jumped in. "The way people made it seem was like something magical was gon happen but that day was filled with pain and inexperienced ass positions." 

"I just hate when people say you should lose your virginity to the right person, you never know the right person. People switch up everyday b." India spoke.

"I lost my virginity to the nigga I been with since 5th grade and you see that nigga not here right now so I agree, there isn't a right person to lose your virginity to." CiCi agreed.

"Does it hurt?" Aspen asked curious.

"It depends." Lay said.

"It was quick so no." CiCi added.

"For a few minutes." Nay thought about it. 

"Girl, don't let them lie to you, it fucking hurts." Ky loud self said. "I felt that pain for almost three days."

"That because Gee Money a damn pornstar." India laughed making them laugh as Aspen eyes widened.

"Oh, that Gee is Gee? It makes sense now." Aspen gasped putting two and two together.

"You think you would lose your virginity to Jamie?" Lay asked as they looked at Aspen.

"Yes." She spoke without thinking about it. "He's all I know, I don't trust anyone else the way I trust him."

"He loves you." Ky agreed with her. "He treats you better than India and I and we blood. He probably love you more than you love him."

"I don't think so." She spoke taking a picture for snap.

"He just texted me and asked where I'm at." Ky looked at Aspen. "You want me to lie?"

"You can tell him you over here." 

"You know he gon come over here right?" India asked.

"I made a deal with my grandma that I'll speak to him anyway." 

"He said and I quote "tell her dumb ass to come outside."" 

"What you bout to do sis?" Nay laughed recording.

"Bring my dumb ass outside." She joked running out her room while they laughed. 

She walked downstairs to see Harlem and Siah playing the game, before she could pass them Siah stopped her. "Where you going?" 

"To go speak to Jamie outside."

"Ask him to stay for dinner!" Memo yelled from the kitchen.

"If he's not too busy." Aspen spoke.

Aspen got out the living room walking outside, she saw him leaned against the car looking annoyed. She strolled over to him slowly as he looked up from his phone putting it on the roof of his car. 

"Why you ignoring me yo? I'm waiting for you after school like I do every day and you got me waiting for more than a hour then don't answer. I been blowing you up since you walked out the cafeteria and you be dodging me, for what?" 

"You let her kiss you in my face." Aspen mumbled but loud enough for him to hear.

"You acting like I kissed her, once I noticed she kissed me I moved my head." He furrowed his eyebrows. 

"If it was anyone else, you would of hit them or something but every time she comes around it's like you just go mute as if she the only one that matters." 

"So you jealous?" 

"No I'm not." 

"That's what you sounding like." He shook his head. "That's my ex and I don't have feelings for her but I got love for her."

Aspen face dropped as she looked at him nodding. "I don't want to do this any more."

"Do what?"

"Us." She motioned between both of them.

"What about us? Aspy, you my best friend, don't do that."

"It don't feel like I am." She told him as her eyes began watering. "You kissed me last Thursday then again Saturday, we don't do things like best friends do. How do you think I wouldn't catch feelings for you?"

"Aspen." He sighed.

"I get it." She wiped her face as the tears continued dropping. "It's one sided and that's fine but if you don't feel this, why do you keep leading me on?"

"Aspen." He repeating.

"I know my name, you can stop saying it." She snapped.

"I feel it." He told her looking to his left. "You think I chase every nigga away for fun? I feel this connection, I love you like you love me but I just can't go there with you. You deserve better, someone who can buy you the world, someone who is as pure as you."

"You don't give yourself enough credit, I deserve happiness just like you do and we're each other happiness." She grabbed his hand making him look down at it.

"I can't be with you Aspen." He spoke taking his hands out her embrace. "I can't hurt you like that, please just understand that."

"Do you love me?" She asked softly.

"More than I love myself." He looked her in her eyes to let her know he meant that.

"Then why can't you let me love you?" She reached up to touch his face.

"Aspen stop." He moved her hands as she stepped back.

"Okay." She nodded sniffling. "You don't want this then you don't but understand I tried, you didn't. I'm going to talk to other people and give them chances."

"No you not."

"You don't want me but you don't want no one else to have me, you can't do that. I won't be the dumb female who let's you do me like that, that's not you loving me."

"You think I like to see you cry like this?" He asked stepping closer to her wiping under her eye with his thumb. "You don't think I just want to drop this whole conversation and make you my girl? You right, I don't want any other nigga around you but-"

"There's no buts to this conversation, you're being inconsiderate and not making sense." She shook her head. "We're never going to be anything more than friends, right?"

"No." He sighed not even sure his self.

"Then leave me alone." Her voice cracked while her lip trembled. "Act like you don't know me, we're not friends, we're not anything. Please leave me alone."

"That's what you want?" 

No. "Yes."

"Then Imma leave you alone." He looked at her and nodded turning around to grab his phone off the hood walking to the driver side of the car, he was about to get in before she called him.

"What was your ulterior motive?"

"What?" He asked confused.

"You said people always have an ulterior motive, so what was yours?"

He paused not sure on how to answer it. "What was it Jamie?" She repeated.

"To love you." He spoke quietly. "I never wanted to do anything else but love you, protect you and make you happy."

"Do I look happy to you?" 

"Imma just leave you alone." He repeated getting in the car without saying anything else as she continued standing there hugging herself with tears running down her face while watching his car leave. 

"He didn't even fight for me." She mumbled to herself as she cried with her heart hurting.

Memo walked towards the front door because Aspen was taking too long so she was just going to invite Jamie herself. She walked out hearing Aspen before she could even see her crying, she left the door open jogging to her daughter. Aspen wrapped her arms around her as Memo did the same thing holding her tight.

"He didn't fight for us." Aspen cried into her mother chest. "He gave up."
___________________

I ever get heartbroken like this, he getting jumped.