Chapter Text
Prologue
"Get ready and jet cause I'm a threat to your fret."
-Black Moon
Huey was stupid.
"Now why'd you go out and buy this old ass, black ass car?" Granddad fussed as he sat outside with Riley after Huey brought it home, grumbling while Caesar helped him install part after part in the hot summer sun.
"This car is old as hell!" he kept fussing, shaking his head. "You worked all summer just to fix an Oldsmobile from the 70s?"
That's exactly what his dumbass brother did.
Unlike their neighbor Jazmine, who allowed Riley to do whatever he wanted in her white BMW, Huey never let him do anything when he rode in his car.
He couldn't touch the radio, he wasn't allowed to eat, he didn't even allow him to touch his seat, which in Riley's opinion was some ole bullshit.
"Aye, Huey!" he called out from the window he also wasn't allowed to roll up. "Let a nigga turn the radio on! Ain't nobody tryna listen to your lame ass cassette tapes all morning!"
He heard his brother's muffled "No!" but chose to ignore it, turning the silver dial from left to right until it landed on a radio station he could vibe to.
"We just dropped that new Nas song from his banging debut album, Illmatic!"
Old school Nas was much better than whatever his brother had been playing before.
He turned it up, grinning.
"Riley, unlock the door!" Jazmine rolled her eyes as she made her way over to Huey's car. "My parents grounded me, and I'm not allowed to drive for a while. I need a ride to school."
"Ain't my car." Riley turned up the radio. "So go on ahead and get to steppin', Hoeriah!"
Jazmine backed away from the car and examined it for a moment before launching a series of kicks against the passenger side, smoothly hopping in the back once the door popped open.
Riley turned around to face her, a big smile on his face.
"Where'd yo ass learn about breaking and entering, girl? You been getting in some trouble?"
Jazmine ignored his question and scooted further inside the car.
"Riley, what are you listening to?"
"Ion' know." He popped his lips, staring at the radio. "Old ass car is malfunctioning. It keeps playing some shit from the 90s or sum. Nas released some good songs around then though. Give it a listen with me real quick."
"Riley," Jazmine warned him. "You know how Huey is about people touching his radio."
"Well at least I know how his ass feels about me, unlike yo ass." Riley turned the radio up some more, back to bobbing his head. "Yo ass still holding on, hoping y'all gon' work things out, ain't ya? After three years, I almost feel sorry for you. You really refusing to do better than him at this point."
Jazmine fell back, defeated.
"Y'all skippin'? Is Caesar coming?" Cindy hopped inside the car with their other friend, Michael Caesar, on the brain as usual. She glanced at Jazmine's crestfallen expression and frowned. "Girl, what's wrong? Worried about moving?"
"We're coming to you live from downtown Chicago! It's July in 1993, and it is hot, hot, hot in Jamison Park, so come on down! There's plenty of good food and some bad mama jamas!"
Riley turned the radio down.
"What?"
"I said are y'all skipping?" Cindy repeated, giving Jazmine a sympathetic fist bump when Riley didn't ask any further questions. "I need a ride somewhere."
Riley held his hand out.
"Both of y'all's bum asses need to pay a nigga some gas money." He scowled. "Hoes always tryna come up off a real one, tryna take whatever a nigga got!"
Cindy slapped his hand away.
"Boy, shut up! This ain't even your car."
"Which is why I'm wondering," Huey said as he made his way to the driver's seat, frowning. "What are you two doing in the back of my car?"
"Got grounded," Jazmine shrugged. "Needed a ride." She glanced up. "I sent you a text."
"And I ignored you. At no point did I tell you to break into my backseat again." Huey rolled his eyes, then frowned at Cindy. "And I sure as hell didn't tell you to bring your white friend with you."
"You want me to walk thirty minutes to school?" Jazmine feigned shock. "I bet if I were Jillian Jones, you'd let me ride in your car!"
"That ain't the only thing he'd let her ride," Riley snickered. "That girl is fine as hell! I mean, you aight, but you ain't Jillian Jones fine! Have you seen that girl?"
He glanced at Huey, who nodded because he agreed too.
"Matter fact, let me close my eyes so I can appreciate the work God put in. He took his time when he chiseled her fine ass into existence! Big ups to Big G for that one!"
"He's not lying," Huey laughed. "Jillian Jones you are not."
He and Riley gazed off into the distance appreciatively, as if the girl were standing nearby.
"Last I checked, your name is Jazmine, and Jazmine can take the bus." He nodded. "You rode public transit when you decided to sneak out of city limits for Aaron. Do it for your education."
Jazmine scoffed, offended.
"I went to see Aaron off to college last year because he was my boyfriend! My parents wouldn't even take me to say a final goodbye!" Jazmine shot back. "I would take you if the situation was reversed! I wouldn't do you like this!"
"Because yo ass can't do him like that." Riley dodged his brother's open-palmed smack. "But hit me up when you thicken up in five more years!" He smirked. "I got sum in these pants that'll make you forget all about my hating ass brother."
"Shut up, Riley!" Jazmine and Huey said in unison.
"Seriously. Huey, please." Jazmine stared up at him. "Can you let me ride to school with you today? I'm not in the mood to ride on Ruckus' bus this morning."
"I thought y'all were skipping," Cindy wrinkled her nose as she reached for the door handle. "But since you aren't, I'll be on my way."
"Maybe you should consider going," Huey replied. "Seeing as though you're on academic probation and all."
"We all know that won't last." Cindy grinned. "Once my family makes a call to announce their sizeable donation to the school, all will be forgiven, and my grades will be fine."
"Hm. Okay." Huey nodded. "Good for you."
He backed out of the driveway and headed toward their high school.
"Yes!" Riley and Jazmine cheered, high-fiving each other.
Cindy frowned.
"Hey! I thought you were going to kick me out?"
"Nah." He shook his head. "The last thing I want is you associating my car with things that bring you joy."
He glanced at Riley and snorted.
"That's why this one keeps coming back."
Huey slowly turned the volume dial up.
"It's still hot, hot, HOT here in downtown Chicago…"
"Are you ready for Casey Edwards' party?" Jazmine asked Cindy, who was glued to her phone. "Earth to Cynthia! Hugest party of our teenage career! Are you going?"
"Jazmine," Huey interrupted, "did you do our chemistry homework yet?"
"Yep." Jazmine eyed him. "Let me guess. You didn't."
"I was working." He met her eyes in the rearview mirror. "It's not something I do all the time."
"Seems admirable." Jazmine stared at her blank phone screen. "Definitely not cheating or anything."
Cindy and Riley groaned.
"Jazmine," Huey sighed, clenching his teeth. "For the last time, that is not what happened with us. I thought you were good with just being friends?"
"I am." She shrugged. "I'm just pointing out the irony. Similar vibes from our failed relationship and all."
"Oh, now you're focused on similarities?" Huey hit the brakes briefly. "Because when we dated, all you cared about was how different we were!"
"Well, we are different!" Jazmine snapped. "You didn't disagree then!"
"I'm also not the one messed up behind it." Huey muttered. "It was two weeks freshman year, and we agreed to be friends. So if you're gonna throw a tantrum, walk."
"Didn't mean anything?" Jazmine yanked the handle. "So I mean nothing, now?"
"That is not what I said!" Huey sighed. "We've both dated other people and moved on. When are you gonna get over—"
"Man, here y'all go again," Riley cut in, cranking the radio. "You know you gon' give him the homework, and you know she gon' ride with you all week! Stop being stubborn!"
Cindy glanced up.
"So is Caesar single?"
"Nah." Huey answered too fast. "He got caught up in something earlier."
"Caught up in what?" Jazmine frowned. "You two are worse than Riley."
"That's none of your concern," Huey replied as the radio cleared again.
"That's right! We're having a free Love Fest Concert with every 90s artist alive TODAY…"
"Riley, what did you do?" Huey snapped, fumbling with the dial.
"You ain't say nothing earlier!" Riley lied.
"You can walk too," Huey shot back.
"Seriously, about Caesar," Cindy pressed. "Because I think ya boy is into ya girl. And ya girl is definitely interested in ya boy, ya dig?"
"Yeah, no." Huey steered the car into the next lane. "There's no way I'm setting you up with any friend of mine. Especially my best friend of eight years. My worst enemies deserve better than you."
"Yeah, no." Huey switched lanes. "Absolutely not."
"SO COME ON DOWNNNNN!"
The car lurched forward.
"What the hell?" Jazmine grabbed the seat. "Huey, watch the road!"
"There is no road!" Cindy screamed.
Huey watched calmly.
The time travel feature." He nodded. "I told you all not to touch it, and now you've set it off. Congrats."
"Time travel feature?!" Cindy and Jazmine looked at each other and then turned back to Huey, all shocked into silence when a vibrant array of colors moved in and out like a kaleidoscope, making them dizzy.
"Huey's just messing wit' us, ya'll." Riley cracked up, smirking. "Quit playin' with their gullible asses, man. I got an art exam to pass!"
"I'm serious, Riley!" Huey gripped the wheel tighter when his car sped through a dark tunnel. "Caesar and I were working on a car that could travel through time and space since we wanted to get a better idea of how our actions impact the future. We thought it'd help me to track down some things I may have missed or messed up. Possibly even track some questionable activity from the feds or stop Granddad from meeting a psychos off the internet."
Jazmine snorted.
"The Feds?" Riley's brow rose before they came dangerously close to an array of stars near the Milky Way. "Nigga did you get some weed from Cindy's cousin, or some shit?
"I knew I could do it." Huey kept talking. "It wasn't hard at all. Plus, I was hoping to see our parents, too. Get a feel of what they were like when they were our age."
"Aaawwwww, Huey!" Cindy cooed, smiling at Jazmine. "That's so sweet!"
"Aw Huey my ass!" Riley was fussing. "Yo crazy ass really has us going to the future?"
"More like the past." Jazmine folded her arms, frowning as the car seemed to shrink. "I think Huey's radio was set to some event in the 90s."
"A love fest or something like that, right?" Cindy mentioned, checking her phone r to see if it had a signal. "At least we're not going to class."
"And what happens if our asses don't make it back in time?" Riley kept ranting, ignoring Jazmine beginning to hyperventilate in the backseat when the car flipped off something in the darkness. "We gon' die?"
"Die isn't quite the word I'd use." Huey shrugged. "We'd just…cease to exist."
"What?!"
"Yeah. Caesar's been time traveling for a few weeks now, though." He shrugged like he hadn't just said what he'd said. "And he always comes back eventually, so I'm sure it's all good."
"What do you mean 'it's all good', Huey?" Jazmine slapped the back of his seat. "You just said that we could cease to exist!"
"It'll be fine, Jazmine!" Huey glared. "I bet the car is thrown off because Caesar had problems finding his way back. Once we find him, we'll be able to get back with no issue."
"Caesar's stuck here?" Both girls screeched.
"Yes,Double-Mint twins." Huey tried to move the dial again. "I think so."
The girls screeched even louder. "You think so?"
"Oh hell no!" Cindy glared at Huey from the backseat. "You'd better find my baby Caesar, right now!" She frowned. "Were you seriously going to leave him in a time period he doesn't belong in?"
Huey shrugged.
"Caesar is probably much happier living in a time where you don't exist." Huey turned the dial up again, listening for something besides static. "Like I said, he'll be fine."
"So how long has he been missing? You said he's been doing this for a few weeks, right?" Jazmine buried her face into her hands. "How do we know that he hasn't ceased to exist yet?"
"Look." Huey frowned. "The rules of time travel aren't that cut and dry. I don't have all the answers." He frowned. "But I'm confident I can figure it out...so until then, can everyone just calm down?" Huey cut the wheel just in time for them to avoid contact with another meteor.
"Hell no I can't calm down!" Jazmine hollered. "This is the dumbest, craziest, biggest fuck up you've ever involved us in, Huey! What is wrong with you? You can't just travel through time without screwing everything up! You're so st-"
The car spun faster, jerking and falling and then speeding again until suddenly the car was submerged in a blinding light that only to faded when it came to a complete stop in front of a huge gorgeous park.
"Whoa."
They all paused and then glanced out of the window, carefully examining their surroundings.
"Where are we?" Jazmine was the first to ask.
"Can you move?!" A teenage girl with cinnamon colored skin kicked Huey's rear bumper. "Crazy ass bastard damn near ran me over with his piece of shit car!"
The moment the Freeman brothers turned around, their jaws dropped.
The girl was standing with her arms folded. Her hair was pinned up into a French bun with chopsticks, and it was stiff, courtesy of the 'Pump It Up Spray' she'd undoubtedly used. She wore a black t-shirt with jeans and was holding a plaid button up in her hands, glaring.
She was beautiful.
And on top of that...
She looked like she would kick anyone's ass if they crossed her. And even if her folks were just meeting her, they all knew better than to mouth off to her, even after eight years had flow past.
"C'mon, Sea." Another girl said, glaring at the boys in the front seat. "Some brothas just don't know how to act. Ya boy is waiting on us anyway, so let's go!"
Huey and Riley couldn't take their eyes off her.
"You can stop staring now." Jazmine rolled her eyes. "I know that she's literally 90s fine and all, but it's so rude when people do that! She's a human being. Not a piece of meat."
"Please tell them again, girl! See, somebody raised you right!" The teenager said as her friend pulled her away from them.
She was still ranting to her as they walked towards the entrance on the other end, angrily staring back at the car.
"No, because who in the fuck raised these niggas? They wannabe in a woman's business so bad, it's crazy!" She scowled. "You'd think they wanted to be one or sumn."
"Yo." Riley stared at Huey once the girls turned around and walked away. "That was-"
Huey met his gaze, nodding back in surprise.
"It was."
"Was what?" Cindy unbuckled her seatbelt before trying to get a view of the girl they were staring at. "Who's the broad?"
Huey cut his eyes at her before looking back at the girl walking into the park.
"That's Haseena Young." He took a deep breath, watching her until she disappeared into the crowd with her friends.
"She's our mom."
Author's Note:
This one will be fun. I promise.