SouthSide

SS1

( everything in this book is based off my imagination dont at me .)

Mariah Nicole Summons

"Mariah, this school is your future, you will be going," Taurus stated firmly, finally turning his attention to his eighteen-year-old daughter. To him, she seemed stubbornly set in her ways, while all he desired was for her to tread the path he had carved, ensuring a life of quality and success.

"That school was your future. I don't want to go there," Mariah countered, shaking her head at the man before her. It felt as though he sought to live vicariously through her, stifling her own dreams in the process. For years, Mariah had dutifully followed his commands, excelling in every task. She stood atop of her classes, reigning as the Captain of the Royal Tiggerates Dance team at Marshall High. 

 " Okay, but if Princeton gives you a chance, you're taking it! Without a damn question." 

Mariah sighed, glancing toward her mother. " And what do you have to say about this, hmm?" she challenged, directing her frustration towards Emily, a mixed girl from the North side of Atlanta. Who remained oblivious to the struggles of the South and East sides. She either frequented Westbrook or lingered in the North. 

" I think-- honey, Princeton is a great school, one of the best colleges. Your dad and I graduated from there. I don't see the problem," Emily responded honestly between bites of her dinner. 

" You don't see the problem? The money that he throws at you got you that blind, huh? I want my own story. If I want to go to Spelman, I'll go. I don't need any stuck-up school dictating how I live, because they teach you the same shit everywhere. The best of the best? That school is a damn scam at its best. That's what it is." Mariah fumed, pushing her plate away. She was finished eating and couldn't wait for seven-thirty to arrive-- her escape into the night. 

"Watch your tone when you're talking to me, young lady!" 

"Ouuuu, you're getting hood now, huh? Those roots you try to hide every day are showing," Mariah snickered, realizing her father was a man of pretense, living a lie since she was sixteen. Their clashes had only intensified since.

"I know where I came from. It's not something I'll ever look back on or return to. You don't know me, little girl, or the shit I did to be here today," Taurus pointed his fork at his naive daughter. He had killed, beaten, and robbed to survive in the Southside, actions he wasn't proud of, so he chose not to dwell on them.

"Well, stop being ashamed of it. You wouldn't even set foot in the Southside now. If you were to see one of your old friends, you'd turn a blind eye. Daddy, you're living a lie to prove a point... but to who, though?" Mariah rose from the table, walking away and leaving the elderly couple to their dinner. The tension in the room lingered like an unspoken accusation. Taurus watched her retreat with a heavy heart, his own frustrations boiling beneath the surface. He had hoped for a different outcome, a family united in purpose and vision. Yet, it seemed that each member harbored their own dreams, their own aspirations that clashed against his own.

Emily sat quietly, her gaze drifting between her husband and daughter, her heart torn between the two. She had always strived to maintain peace within their household, but tonight, the air crackled with unresolved conflict, threatening to fracture the fragile bonds that held them together.