"Shhh, shhh." I cooed at Cadence trying to get her to stop crying so I could finish getting ready for school and dress her real quick.

"Chris I need new school pants bruh." Cj said.

"Ima take you to get some after school. Carla dressed?" I responded not looking up.

"Yeah, but she need her hair done. If you comb her hair today I'll dress Cadence and bring her to daycare."

"Deal." I agreed making my way to Carla.

"Go get your hair stuff." I told her and she nodded skipping off to get her hair bucket.

"When's daddy coming?" She asked taking a seat in front of me as I quickly thought of how to answer her question. I didn't want to lie and give her false hope, but I also don't want to explain.

"Hand me the brush." I said attempting to change the subject. I took out the hair products and got the wide tooth comb trying my best to get the knots out.

"Can you do the hairstyle with the two twists in the front?" Carla asked meaning she forgot about the previous question.

"Ion know how to do that one. Ask mama over the weekend."

I put her hair in a bun and put a bow in the front.

"Turn around." I checked making sure her hair didn't look bad then told her I'm done.

"I'm tired of wearing ponytails and buns." She complained.

"That's all me and Cj know how to do. Be grateful, least we don't send you picky headed."

She went grab her booksack and I quickly finished getting dressed then put her on the bus for school.

Cj came back from dropping Cadence off and we waited on the bus together.

"What's the point of waiting on the bus if mama leave you the car while she go to work.

"Saving gas." I shrugged.

"I guess. But you literally wake up at 5 am to drop her off at work and then go pick her up. At this point you might as well start leaving the car with her."

"She leave it with us to go get Cadence and incase we need it. Like today we gone need it after school."

.

.

.

Our teacher assigned us to read Romeo & Juliet and do some guided notes plus discussion, for the project.

"You got time to work on finishing reading the text after school today? I can't tomorrow, but I'm free Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday." Mariah asked me at the end of first block.

"Yeah after I get Carla. I work Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. So that leaves Wednesday to finish the discussion."

"Coo. Your house or mine."

"Mine, 5 o'clock good?" She nodded and we walked off to gym since we got the same class.

School passed by in a blur and pretty soon me and Cj were on the bus home.

"This nigga got on high waters." Some random dude said pointing out Cj but nobody paid him any mind.

"And you got that wack ass boosie fade. Your teeth bout crooked as hell, you need braces." I started clowning him so bad it gained the whole bus attention. Some people recorded but I wasn't focused on that.

We got off at our bus stop, picked up Carla before she got on the bus, then went got cadence.

"Here go get your pants, ima stay here with them." I said handing him my card. He nodded going in the store and I picked up Cadence.

"Hey. Hey. Heyyy." I smiled tickling her making her laugh. She's a very happy baby overall, but like most babies she has her crying moments.

"Can we stop at McDonald's?" Carla asked.

"You got McDonald's money?"

"No, mommy don't either cause we broke." She huffed and I stopped playing with Cadence to look at her.

"We not broke Carla. Something happened between mommy and dad so she's doing the best she can. She make sure you get everything you need, stop being ungrateful."

"I'm sorry. The kids at school get to do things I don't. I don't even ask to dress down and stuff when we can, because I know I can't."

"Don't say we can't if you never asked. You coulda just told me and I woulda got your stuff."

"But you not posed to spend your money on us, mama posed to."

"I don't mind. Don't worry bout that, everything gone fall into place."

She nodded and sat back, then Cadence started crying.

"Hand me her bottle."

"Can I feed her? Please, I'll be careful."

"Yeah, sit back." I handed her the baby making sure she was holding her properly just as Cj came back.

"Thank you." He said handing my card back and I told him no problem.

I waited until Carla finished feeding the baby to pull off so we could strap her down before we leave. I pulled out making my way home.

"Check my phone." I told Cj keeping my eyes on the road.

"Mariah asked you to send her the address cause she forgot how to get to our house."

"Ite, send it."

I got home and got Carla started on her homework while Cj dealt with Cadence. I heard a knock and went opening the door knowing it's Mariah.

"Hey, make yourself comfortable.. ima be right back."

I went grab my booksack and helped Carla with her last problem before going back downstairs.

"My b, im ready"

We ended up finishing the annotations in a hour.

"Want just start discussion now?" She asked I nodded.

"1st question..Were Romeo and Juliet really in love?"

"No, I don't believe in love at first sight. They barley knew eachother. I think they were infatuated with one another. They wanted something they found in eachother." I shrugged.

"I half agree, half disagree. I think Romeo was just infatuated because Rosaline kinda showed he's like that with everybody. I think Juliet actually loved him, because you don't kill yourself for somebody you don't love."

"Juliet dumb as hell, she killed her self for somebody she barley even knew. But I still think she was infatuated, they ain't know eachother enough to be in love for real."

"Ight the next question asks if we would be with be with someone our families had a grudge against."

"Depends why they don't like them." I answered.

"Kinda, I'd be with somebody my blood family don't like cause I don't know them. But I wouldn't be with somebody my Nana don't like, cause if she don't like them she gotta reason."

"Why you don't call your Nana mom?"

"Technically she's not my mom. Don't get me wrong she treats me like a daughter, but I don't know what happened to my real one. If she's dead or something I'd probably feel bad."

"If she dead, it don't matter. If she's alive then ohh well."

"I'm used to calling her Nana, so that's what ima stick with."

After that I just dropped it cause it ain't my business. We worked on the project a lil while longer then she went home.