Mariah sat in her room eating ice cream bored. Nana had given her some space allowing her to think for herself. However, she wasn't doing much thinking about the situation. She was doing anything to stay busy and not let her mind wonder. She added some touch ups to Asia's wig, then colored one of her own which she just finished installing.

"Color fye, I look like shit tho." She mumbled seeing herself when she opened snapchat.

Meanwhile, Chris was waiting on Carla to get off the bus before he could go by Mariah. He almost forgot they agreed to work on the project at her house today.

Carla got off the bus and he quickly helped her do her homework. Mariah had told him her address the last time they worked on the project, so he didn't need to ask for it. She hadn't confirmed, but she also hadn't cancelled, so he figured he should go just incase.

"CJ WATCH THE GIRLS." Chris yelled going to the car.

He sighed seeing the gas tank was on E and stopped to get some gas on the way. He filled up the tank of the 2011 Honda and drove to Mariah's house.

"MARIAH OPEN THE DOOR." Nana yelled across the house causing Mariah to frown and answer the door.

"What you doin here?" She asked Chris raising her eyebrow.

"You said you wanted to work on the project today."

"Ohhhh yea." She mumbled moving out of his way. "Come on." Chris followed her upstairs looking around.

"We gotta do this first, she handed it out in class today. I started it at school tho, so we ain't got that much left." He handed her a copy of the worksheet along with his to copy.

She started copying the worksheet then caught a glimpse of the business card her "mother" left, making her pause.

It was the first time she really thought about it all day and her emotions were starting to catch up with her. She blinked away her tears and Chris tapped her.

"Focus. I gotta go soon." He said thinking about how he didn't want to leave CJ alone with the kids for too long if he didn't have to. Plus, he had to get his mom from work at the end of her shift.

She finished copying the worksheet as Chris caught her up on the work she missed.

"Yeah, and pigs were flying at the zoo." Chris said trying to see if she was paying attention. She didn't seem all the way there and he was bout ready to go.

"Mhm, bet." She mumbled.

He just stopped talking giving her time for her thoughts to roam.

"Why you stopped talking?"

"Cause you wasn't paying attention."

"I was tho."

"You weren't." He saw she was done copying the first worksheet. "Let's do this after we do the questionnaire." He said taking the paper.

He figured it was best to do it last since they could do it separately, but everything else they needed eachothers opinions.

"Okay, so do you think Roosevelt using the atomic bomb in WW2 was justified?" He said reading off the first question.

"What I wanna know is why we learning about history in English."

"Facts, this ain't US History."

"Right, but kinda. I have a mixed opinion, on one hand he probably could've demonstrated the power of the weapon before he just set it off. Plus, I don't like that civilians got hurt in the process. But on the other hand more lives would've been lost if he hadn't used it. Not to mention, the war probably woulda lasted years longer without it."

"I agree with his decision, because like you said it saved lives. But I don't agree with all his reasons. Part of the reason he bombed them was to not waste money and to basically stunt on everybody. Ion think that was good reasons, money and bragging rights don't compare to thousands lives. But like you said I agree since millions of soldiers could've died."

"Ite, the next question is

"Do you think hitler was the only one at fault for the mass genocide of the Jewish people?"

"Hell no, everyone got choices. The people voted for him and they chose to follow his orders. Yeah Hitler called the shots but everybody else did his dirty work. They just as much to blame as him." He answered.

"I agree, they did all that shit then blamed it on taking orders. Nobody with a conscious about to do all that shit then sleep good at night. Crazy how they hid the concentration camps from the rest of the world, like millions of people were dying and the world thought it was a rumor."

"I hate when dumbass people say the Holocaust wasn't real, like they dead got survivors alive. They got pictures, actual camps still up, the proof there. That's like saying slavery wasn't real, sound dumb as fuck."

"On soul, I don't see how people sleep at night being that ignorant."

They went back and forth answering all the questions that required their partner's opinion. Then they started working on their presentation.

Their presentation was both physical and digital. Their pictures and videos were on the computer, but a lot of it was handouts and posters.

"Here finish attaching everything while I work on the videos and shit." He said grabbing his laptop.

"Y'all want some snacks?" Nana asked then paused. "Chris?"

"Hey Ms.Valentine. What you doing here." He asked getting up to give her a hug.

"Thats my Nana." Mariah answered the question to ask one of her own. "How y'all know eachother?"

"She babysit Cadence and we used to go to the same church."

"Ion never see you at church."

"I said used to."

"Ima be right back, ima go whip up some food so you can take home." Nana said going downstairs to get started before he could decline.

Mariah went back to doing the presentation, but eventually she just stopped thinking about if she should call.

"You ight? You seem...distracted? Ion know like you here physically but you ain't all the way here mentally." Chris said and she randomly started crying.

He looked at her shocked not sure of what to do.

I'm uncomfortable. He thought to himself before hesitating and getting up to give her a hug.

He awkwardly patted her back waiting for her to calm down.

"Sorry." She sniffled moving away from him. The ghetto, how embarrassing. She thought to herself.

"Wan talk about it." He asked moving away.

"My birth mom came here yesterday, threatened a custody battle and left that number." She pointed at the business card keeping it short.

"Damn. Let's call it." He said hopping up and going get the card.

"No, she doesn't seem like the kind of person I wanna know."

"Maybe there's more to her, but if you really believe that then don't cause yourself no pain tryna get to know somebody who ain't worth it." He blanked for a second thinking of his dad but his focus went back on her as soon as she spoke.

"Sounds like you speaking from experience."

"Got more than a few bad memories." He responded and she nodded.

"She read my public records, which she must've dug real deep for. Then proceeded to act like she knows my whole life story, don't know nothing about me."

"Damn...." he paused thinking. "Well if you spacing out like that you most likely wanna call. You made the choice already, only thing stopping you is fear."

He was right, she did want to call.

"It's whatever, I'll forget about it...eventually."

"Nahh, what if you change your mind one day and the number deactivated or something. Then it'll probably end up one of your biggest regrets. You might not like what you find but least you'll know."

"But-"

"Don't think too hard or you won't call. Just do it, only live once." He shrugged cutting her off.

"Fudge it." She mumbled pulling her phone out and dialing the number.

"Umm...hello?"

"Hey? Who's this, Mariah?"

She didn't answer she just hung up.

"What happened?"

"I got scared again and hung up." She admitted.

"Gimmie your phone."

She handed him her phone watching him type for a few minutes.

"Here."

He had texted her mother for her and set up a meeting date for the following weekend.

"Thank you, I needed that." She said throwing her phone on her bed.

"Welcome."

"Ite ima focus now." She said clearing her thoughts and finishing up on the project.

"Look we could just finish later, you ain't inna right space right now and it ain't due yet."

"Nahh, I'm good." She insisted.

"Okay bruh." He agreed and they kept working until eventually he had to go.

As promised Ms.Valentine gave him food even after he tried declining it multiple times. Mariah didn't really pick up on the fact that there was a reason behind it, she just figured Nana was being nice as usual.

Chris quickly went got his mom, then headed home with his siblings.

"Alright Chris and CJ, I got everything. Go upstairs and take y'all showers dinner should be ready in a minute."

"Ms.Valentine sent food, went work on a project with her daughter."

"Ohh, well let's heat that up. I'll just cook this stuff tomorrow." She said putting everything back. She quickly gave Cadence a bath, then waiting for CJ to finish in her bathroom to take a shower.

After everyone had eaten and showered they went to bed.

Meanwhile, Mariah called Adonna and caught her up on the whole birth mom thing.